Pittman Innovation Awards

The Pittman Innovation Awards are named after Freeman K. Pittman, SAIL’s widely respected technical editor of 14 years, who succumbed to Lou Gehrig’s disease in 1996. Although it’s not easy living up to Freeman’s high standards, we think he’d be impressed by this year’s selection.

Each year SAIL presents the Pittman Innovation Awards, recognizing the most innovative and interesting new products on the market. Our team of judges went through the fall boat shows looking for the latest and greatest in new gear. Here’s what they came up with.

The FFM100 fuel flow monitor is the latest addition to the long company’s long list of sensors, modules, cabling, components, displays and software.  The unit converts signals from fuel, water and other fluid sensors into NMEA 2000 data, and when used in conjunction with Maretron’s own positive displacement fuel sensors provides unprecedented accuracy when measuring consumption.

The SD units range from small canisters suitable for a toolbox up to sizes capable of drying out large interior spaces. SAIL contributing editor Nigel Calder uses an SD to keep his boat’s freezer from icing up. The AVDs feature a transparent cylinder with end caps for connecting to a fuel tank’s vent plumbing.

While the 3G has longer legs than Navico’s first broadband unit, the BR24, which lost its edge at ranges beyond six miles, it’s the 4G that is the real “long ranger” when it comes to target acquisition. With 50 percent more maximum-range detection ability, the 4G stands tall among 18-20in dome antenna units, behaving more like a big-league open-array unit than comparably sized competitors.

A fully networkable alternative to individual gauges, the T41 was designed with both cruisers and club racers in mind, and offers a lot of engineering bang for the buck. The Micro-C Simnet backbone allows you to daisy-chain other T41s and connect a sounder, compass or Triton masthead sensor, thereby delivering a competitively priced anemometer that uses the same internal components found in B&G’s top-tier 3000 series.

The Extreme harnesses Iridium’s proven global voice and data satellite system, and offers plenty of day-to-day value to both racers and cruisers. In addition to providing voice, e-mail and position-tracking connectivity with those at home, the Extreme, which includes a dedicated programmable SOS button, will be invaluable in emergency situations.

Once onboard, your iPad or iPhone becomes a wireless remote display, and the e7’s Bluetooth connectivity also allows you to control your MP3 music remotely from the helm. A compact Bluetooth remote is also available, and the e7’s LightHouse interface is intuitively structured to make the system easy to operate.

Doyle’s Anomaly headboard solves these dilemmas by affixing the head of the sail to a detachable composite “carriage,” which is attached via a 2:1 tackle to the top sail car on the mast track. When raising sail, halyard tension automatically pulls the carriage into the car where a toggle locks it in place. No more having to attach the head of the sail to the track manually.

As a line comes under load, it is instantly squeezed by the Constrictor’s Aramid jacket and held fast. Simply pull the trip line and catch its dedicated knot in the notch to release the line. According to Cousin Trestec, the lightweight design offers slip-free performance even when working with higher loads, without the risk of abrasion.