2026 Newport for New Products™, Award Winning Gear
Held annually in mid-September, the Newport International Boat Show starts the fall show season. Newport, RI, where the show is held, was home to the America’s Cup for 53 years (1930 to 1983) and remains one of the premier sailing/boating destinations in the United States. Nestled along the docks of this nautical-themed New England city, the event features the best mix of both sail and powerboats all in one show, plus a contest called Newport for New Products™. This new product themed contest, hosted by our friends at Firecrown, who own many of the top marine magazines in the U.S., highlights innovative new boats and products across a variety of categories. Our boat coverage, including tests, onboards, and reviews will come later, but here are this year’s top gear and equipment award winners.
https://www.newportboatshow.com/attend/nfnp-winners/
Best Operational, Maintenance & Safety Product – Propspeed Foulfree™ Multi-Surface
Propspeed is known for their two-part, biocide-free underwater coatings that bond to bare metal surfaces (bronze, stainless steel, or aluminum), and are commonly used on propellers, struts and rudders.
The new Propspeed Foulfree™ Multi-Surface coating system is designed to protect other types of surfaces. This clear, one-part coating remains biocide-free and is intended for use on underwater components, including plastic, inflatable boat tubes, stabilizer fins, interceptor-style tabs, transducers and other surfaces. It sticks tenaciously to surfaces that go underwater and creates a slippery silicone barrier that both prevents and sheds growth easily. The new Foulfree™ formula is clear and can be applied over finished surfaces like the tips of outboard skegs that sometimes don’t fully clear out of the water when raised, providing protection while maintaining aesthetics. This new antifouling solution will keep all your underwater surfaces free of marine growth, creating smoother running surfaces that improve vessel performance.
https://www.propspeed.com/en/recreational/products/foulfree
Best Innovation Product – Facnor TackFurl by Wichard Group
If you have used common roller furling systems, you know that top swivels and their attached halyards can sometimes get twisted slowing, binding or inhibiting their function. It can also be hard to adjust the halyard tension properly to maintain sail shape and keep the furler functioning optimally.
Facnor’s innovative new TackFurl system eliminates the top swivel by utilizing an internal halyard that runs up through the furling system itself. Adjustments can be made easily as the furling drum raises and lowers, tensioning the headsail from the tack using a Cunningham/downhaul line. This maximizes your luff length, frees up a winch/cleat typically used for the halyard, and allows for easy fine-tuning of the luff trim.
This new furling system improves sail shape and eliminates some of the fouling/binding issues other furling systems sometimes encounter making it an ideal solution for racers and cruisers alike.
Best New Product – SwiftLoc Adjustable Fishing Rod Holder
When I saw that a rod holder had won a Best New Product Award, I was a bit skeptical. I mean, how different could it be? After getting a demonstration, I now understand what makes this rod holder so cool. It can be flush mounted on many different boats using a simple template. On the surface, the SwiftLoc looks similar to many other rod holders, but its internal mechanism allows it to face different directions and set the rod at several angles. It can rotate 360°, meaning a single rod holder in a cockpit corner, for example, can face either aft or horizontally off the side. It can also lock into three vertical positions: 0°, 15°, or 30°, or be set to spin freely. The SwiftLoc Adjustable Fishing Rod Holder is built out of high-quality marine-grade 316 stainless steel to keep it looking fresh and lasting for years.
https://www.swiftlocfishing.com/
Watch video demonstrations from the show
