New Gear

Rupert Holmes gets an early look at the latest ideas

- Rupert Holmes

Concours Innovation for marine equipment

The Concours Innovation section of the Paris Boat Show is always a treasure trove of new ideas with the potential to change the way we sail and use our boats.

The 16 products and services represented this year ranged from discarded fenders upcycled into lampshades (atelierpoupe.com) to a method for building boats in fibreglass and other composites without needing a mould, thereby saving tonnes of unnecessary plastics and carbon emissions (ox-eye.com).

The latter won the prize for top service, while best product was Inocel’s 300kW hydrogen fuel cell that weighs only 100kg, yet can be used to power massive electric motors (inocel.com).

Overall winner was the KISS (Keep it Simple and Smart) 6.6m (21ft 7in) open trimaran developed by the famed Les Glénans sailing centre. It’s intended as a collaborative project for secondary schools, primarily in areas far from the sea, that will raise awareness of the marine environment and highlight the attractiveness of careers in France’s thriving maritime sector.

The boat’s design is inspired by the Polynesian va’a taie and holopuni sailing canoes, and can be used for both paddling and sailing. Where possible environmentally friendly materials such as bio sourced resins and flax fibres are used in place of conventional fibreglass cloth and resins.

Boats will be delivered in kit form, with technical support from Glénans, allowing students to build their own vessels. They will then return to a Glénans base where students will be taught to sail them, culminating in a race and rally. glenans-asso-fr