New sailing and boating gear for 2022 - we take a look at some of the latest upcoming marine safety gear launched during the METS trade show.
New marine safety devices, electronics and wearable safety gear
At this years METS trade show we picked out some of the best new marine safety gear to show you, available in 2022.
ACR Personal locator beacon (PLB) RLS (rescue link service)
This DAME award winning RLS Beacon is the first to have a digital text readout, giving a clear message on the display, letting you know that your signal has been received by the Mission Control Centre and ultimately informing you that your distress status and position has been passed to a Maritime rescue co-ordination centre or Coast Guard.
We’re looking forward to getting our hands on this unit for a proper look in the Spring.
RRP £459
Buy ACR RLS PLB from Global Telesat via Amazon.co.uk – programmed for UK
Buy ACR RLS PLB at Force4.co.uk
for more information about this PLB, go to www.acratex.com
For a buyers guide and information about personal locator beacons read more at YBW.com
McMurdo Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) RLS (rescue link service)
The FastLink was the first 406 MHZ PLB to include the Galileo powered Return Link Service (RLS) technology, a re-assurance signal that pings back to the beacon user in the form of a blue light. The RLS is a visible and audible confirmation that your call for help has been heard and location is known.
As a result of this alarm, it gives you reassurance of knowing that your signal has been received and your location known can make a huge difference in survival prospects if you find yourself in a catastrophic situation. We will be looking at this beacon and other PLB’s this coming Spring as part of our marine safety gear test.
RRP £423
Buy Mcmurdo FastFind returnlink PLB at Force4.co.uk
Buy McMurdo FastFind returnlink PLB from Global Telesat via Amazon.co.uk
for more information about this PLB, go to www.seasofsolutions.com
For a buyers guide and information about personal locator beacons read more at YBW.com
Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
Sea-Tags Pro
This new device acts as a central monitoring system for the existing Sea-Tags wristband. As it listens to all of the Sea-Tags on board it will trigger an alarm in case of a MOB. As Sea-tags Pro is NMEA 2000 integrated it can display the MOB on your chart plotter screen too. You can combine it with additional Bluetooth antennas and a new external active GNSS antenna. Additionally, you can find the wristbands, sold separately at the sea-tags website.
This new central monitoring system could be very handy if you have a bunch of people onboard who are hard to keep track of… especially young people have a habit of popping overboard for a swim when you least expect it.
Price TBC – launching Spring 2022
For more information about Sea Tags, go to www.sea-tags.com/
You can buy seatags bracelets at Sea-tags.com
Spinlock ALTO 75N waist belt floatation device
This waist worn style of inflatable buoyancy is a popular choice for those fair weather tender rides to the pub. Spinlock say they designed this for a wide array of small watercraft leisure use. Because it is lightweight, compact, and manually operated the Alto won’t hamper your paddling fun or be too obtrusive as you wander about shoreside. It’s reassuring to have if you do unexpectedly go for a swim and it turns out you need a bit of extra buoyancy. Upon manual activation, an inflatable tube is released from the waist pack in the form of that ubiquitous horse shoe shape. Certified 50N Buoyancy Aid. We hope to test out this product in our paddleboard test this coming Spring.
Price £55
Buy Spinlock Alto from wetsuitoutlet via Amazon.co.uk
Plastimo SLR lifejacket
The SLR dual chamber harness lifejacket is a new launch this Autumn from our French friends at Plastimo. It has dual chamber technology and 196N buoyancy to improve rollover speed and freeboard.
The lifejacket closure is a seat buckle style with safety release catches to avoid it being accidentally unclipped. Ultra-flexible when worn, this jacket should conform to the wearers body shape, making it form-fit winter foulies to summer skinnies.
It has neoprene at the back of the collar to avoid neck chafe and a host of other smaller ergonomic considerations for the wearer.
€199 (available spring 2022)
NavAlert NMEA 2000 system
This universal monitoring and alert solution for boat systems is capable of monitoring any parameter on an NMEA 2000 network. The systems you choose to be monitored can include navigation data: GPS position, speed, depth, wind, AIS or status of other boat systems such as pumps and switches.
NavAlert creates it’s own Wifi signal, so you can access it with your smart phone, tablet or PC. Because alarms can also generate an SMS message, (which can be relayed through Digital Yacht’s 4GXtream) you get additional peace of mind when away from your anchored boat, such as when you’re ashore exploring the local hostelries.
There’s also a dedicated MOB (man over board) feature where a simple switch can activate a synthetic AIS MOB SART message on the network allowing connected devices to activate their MOB features. Quite a nifty bit of marine safety gear we think, well worth a look.
Price £240/€300/US$360
You can read more at www.digitalyacht.co.uk
OSCAR Sentry, collision avoidance
This latest award winning flagship model from OSCAR is intended for larger Motorboats or superyachts and other boats such as lifeboats and coastguard vessels. Using a thermal imaging camera plus a daylight camera, the Sentry unit has Collision Avoidance Mode, which has it scanning the ocean surface for floating objects (ships, boats, floating obstacles) indicating type of object, speed and distance. There’s a Perimeter Surveillance Mode, which gives continuous 360° surveillance or custom sector surveillance and it also has Object Tracking Mode, where it tracks a target by 360°
The Sentry plugs into the NMEA2000 system too. Now this isn’t really intended for the leisure sailor (they do smaller OSCAR models for racing yachts and blue water cruisers) , but if you have deep pockets and can afford a superyacht then the price tag on this won’t be the cause of you needing to sit down and have a biscuit.
Price €39,999
you can read more about marine safety via our yachting titles:
Pip Hare shows us what she packs in her grab bag – Yachting World
For the best tech for leisure sailors to avoid collisions at sea read more at Yachting Monthly
For a guide to PLBs read more at YBW.com
Didn’t find what you’re looking for? Head to Amazon’s dedicated boating page for more marine products.