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Renato Cappuccitti used to see it all the time, and it would drive him nuts.

As Bajío’s vice president of operations and Rx, he’d be at a boat show, and people would come over to say they owned and loved the company’s sunglasses. “But they have a pair of readers around their neck on the cord, and they hold them up over the glasses they’re wearing,” he says.

Hence, the line of readers from Bajío that launched in March. By the time this issue of Yachting is on newsstands, reader lenses are expected to be available in every frame style the company makes.

The reader sunglasses are a modern take on traditional bifocals, available in powers of +1.5, +2.0 and +2.5. The magnifier is embedded in the back of the lens, so there is no prominent line (like in the old days) telling the world that the glasses are bifocals. And because the magnifier is on the inside of the lens, it is also a lot less likely to get scratched.

“What’s really nice about a reader like this is that it’s a very quick learning curve versus progressives,” he says. “That takes your brain a week or two to adjust. Anybody who has had that experience with progressives, you don’t have that same experience with these.”

Cappuccitti says boaters find the readers helpful for maintaining protection from the sun while tying flies for fishing, looking at helm displays and using apps on a mobile device. Just like readers from the drugstore, these sunglasses can be worn while doing anything on board that requires a close-up view. “In sunglasses, bifocal makes the most sense for a reader,” he says. “We don’t want someone to be blinded by the bright light when they take off their sunglasses to read something. Now you get the protection from the sun, and you can still read or see something small.”

The lenses are made of polycarbonate, which is the same material most people have in reading glasses at home. Like the bio-based frames that Bajío uses, the reader lenses are lightweight too.

Orders ship from the Florida factory within 48 hours with a choice of frames and lens colors.

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Allied Feather + Down is not a company that most boaters know, but it plays a role in many of the brands that boaters buy. The California-based firm sources the materials that go into products sold by Vineyard Vines, Under Armour, Sail Racing and more. If you like the way a particular jacket stays warm but not too hot, materials from Allied Feather + Down may be at least part of the reason.

Since about 2010, the company has been trying to solve the problem of down having a bad relationship with water. “For boating and water sports in general, down has always been considered not applicable because of the high levels of moisture, from rain to humidity,” says Creative Director Matthew Betcher. “So even with a brand like Helly Hansen, it’s never something we really saw in their boating pieces until recently, where we can start to develop solutions for that problem.”

That solution is called ExpeDry. The idea is that instead of making water bead up on the outside, or shell, of a product, such as a jacket, ExpeDry will fight the water from within.

Think about how a down jacket or blanket has baffles, which are the squares that look kind of like a quilt. Inside each one of those baffles is what Betcher calls an insulation chamber. His team worked with a technology called FUZE to create tiny gold particles that permanently bond to the down inside the insulation chamber, creating an electrostatic barrier that stops, say, humidity from condensing into water.

“What would happen without it in a down blanket, for example, is that humidity would continue to be picked up by the down, and it would grow mold, lose loft, just get gross,” he says. “It will never really have a chance to dry out. What this does is help keep that down dry. It keeps the whole inside of the blanket drier.”

ExpeDry also makes it possible to hang a down product on a line and have it actually get dry without the need for a home-type, heat-based dryer—a boon for boaters who otherwise have no way to dry those products. “In a laundry situation, it helps the product dry over 50 percent faster,” he says. “Those comforters can take hours to dry properly. This saves a tremendous amount of time and energy.”

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Mercury is the first major manufacturer of marine internal-combustion engines to offer an electric outboard option. The Avator 7.5e delivers comparable performance metrics to Mercury’s time-tested 3.5 hp four-stroke gasoline engine, minus the locally emitted carbon dioxide. The Avator 7.5e is also the only outboard currently on the market with a transverse flux motor, a design that Andrew Przybyl, Mercury’s technical manager and engineer for the Avator line, says has high-torque-density characteristics. The Avator 7.5e comes with a 1 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery that nests inside the outboard’s flip-top cowl, and a color display with GPS that gives operators a wealth of real-time range information.

“One of the biggest challenges we had was setting up the overall architecture of the outboard,” Przybyl says. The solution involved auditioning different concepts and designs, and then choosing the right supporting technologies, including batteries, motor types and overall configurations. “In electrification, overall system efficiency is the name of the game,” he says. “The other aspect was sustainability. This outboard is highly recyclable.” Creating a recyclable design, Przybyl says, involved using componentry from nontraditional materials. “Sustainability is an important part of our culture,” Przybyl says.

While the Avator 7.5e is intended for use aboard smaller boats, Mercury plans to release the bigger Avator 20e and 35e outboards later this year. All three of these electric motors will employ similar architecture, displays and companion apps.

Charge and Go

The Mercury Marine Avator 7.5e can run for 60 minutes at full throttle off a charged-up 1 kilowatt-hour battery, or for as long as 2.8 hours at 75  percent throttle (or 6.2 hours at 50 percent throttle, or 19.4 hours at 25 percent throttle). Users can also change out batteries in seconds.

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Mercury Racing has introduced the Mercury Racing V8 500R outboard, which the company says it created “for no-compromise owners of the fastest luxury sport boats.”

Stuart Halley, Mercury Racing general manager, stated in a press release: “Capable of delivering more than 500 horsepower in a wide range of conditions and weighing as little as 720 pounds, the 500R establishes a new benchmark for outboard power density. This motor offers incredible mid-range punch and pulls with unrelenting authority all the way to wide-open throttle. This is the most exciting production outboard to ever emerge from the Mercury Racing shop.”

The 500R has more than 500 eager horsepower, which is 50 more horsepower plus 10 percent higher torque than the 450R model. Its 4.6-liter, 64-degree, V8 FourStroke powerhead is boosted by a Mercury Racing supercharger. The engine is designed to perform on pump fuel with a minimum 89-octane (95 RON) rating.

Also on the 500R are upgraded component designs in the powerhead, cooling system, midsection and steering system. A new, 5.9-inch diameter gearcase, available in R-Drive and R-Drive Sport configurations, transfers the power to the water.

What lengths are available for the Mercury Racing 500R? It can be ordered at 20 inches, 25 inches, 30 inches or 35 inches for single- or multi-engine applications.

Take the next step: go to mercuryracing.com

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Nick leason is psyched to see that the sport of e-foiling is having a moment among boaters.

For more than a decade, the company he founded, Lift Foils, has been building and selling the toys that can be used pretty much wherever there is water. Mega-yacht owners and crew discovered e-foiling pretty quickly and have been adding the toys to their lazarettes for a number of years in the Mediterranean and Caribbean. But it’s only in the past year or so that Leason has seen a surge of interest from owners of yachts as small as 40 feet length overall.

“People are realizing that these don’t take up any space,” Leason says. If you have a tender or a personal watercraft, “you need a crane or a platform; you need infrastructure for that. These e-foils, I can fit it in a Mini Cooper. You can put it on any size boat, even if you’re buying a yacht in the 40- or 45-foot range.”

The increased interest is coming from outside the boating community too, including from beginners who want a more entry-level product. The New Lift3 F is Leason’s solution to that increased demand. It reduces the use of carbon fiber in the toy’s construction and instead adds materials, such as fiberglass, that still perform well but can take more of a beating from beginners at a lower price point overall.

“What’s also neat about the New Lift3 F is that it’s all modular,” he says, explaining that the toy can evolve along with the rider’s skills. “They can build off of that platform and spruce it up however they want.”

The cost savings for people who buy the toy is substantial. A fully kitted-out assembly from Lift Foils can run about $15,000, compared with the New Lift3 F’s starting price of $8,995, he says. It’s a price point that yacht owners are more comfortable with as they watch beginners get the hang of using the toy. “The fiberglass is really robust,” Leason says. “The aluminum mast is bomber. If you’re banging into things, these are more abuse tolerant.”

The modular design is also a feature that yacht owners and crew are gravitating toward. This is a toy that can be broken down for smaller stowage spots on board and then be put back together for use pretty quickly.

“The assembly is literally six screws,” Leason says. “It takes about five minutes to assemble or disassemble. It has carrying cases and bags. The board itself is no larger than 5½ feet by 30 inches wide, and the propulsion case sits right next to that with the battery.” By comparison, he adds, “a kayak’s huge. This is more like an inflatable kayak that packs down into a bag.”

Riders, he says, span the gamut in terms of age. The company is seeing everyone from teenagers to people in their 70s giving it a try, with most people being able to do a basic ride within about 30 minutes of starting a lesson. “We’ve gotten older people going on their first ride,” he says. “And my favorite thing about the e-foil is that it’s a family toy. It brings families together. Rarely does a family have one toy that the whole family enjoys. I think that’s pretty cool. Especially when people are going out on their yacht, they bought it because they want to get out there, and they hope the family will all make time in the schedule, so having the right toys is a big part of that.”

How It Works

This water toy is battery-powered. Riders manage the experience with a Bluetooth hand controller that displays the remaining battery life, and that lets riders switch between speed and performance settings. There are two choices of battery: a “light battery” that provides about 60  minutes of ride time and a “full-range battery” for about 100 minutes of ride time. The trade-off for adding that extra time is also adding weight, with the full-range battery packing an extra 7 pounds.

New Colors

Ice Blue and Sunset Peach are two newly available colors. Both boards are made of a fiberglass blend that’s crafted into an aerodynamic shape. The mast is built of 28-inch precision-milled aluminum. At the bottom of the mast are front and back wings. All the components are modular, for easier stowage and transport.

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Life rafts are mission-specific safety gear. If you’re planning to stick to coastal cruising without ever heading offshore, then you might consider one type of raft instead of another. Ditto for cruisers headed to warmer climates as opposed to colder locations. Owner-operators who always cruise alone may be fine with a smaller raft, compared with a family of four, who would need a larger version.

All of which is why Jacksonville, Florida-based Revere makes a variety of life rafts for these purposes and more, with recreational and commercial versions in various sizes and styles. “We have been around since 1936. We have many different product lines,” says John Tuerk, senior sales manager.

The Regatta model shown here is built for offshore cruisers, which is indicated by its ISO 9650 rating. This raft’s features include a dual-tube design with independent air chambers, just in case one chamber deflates; an insulated floor to help the people inside stay warm; and a self-deploying canopy to provide protection from the elements.

Also included are hand flares, parachute flares, a signaling mirror, seasickness pills, a repair kit and other items that might be needed to keep people comfortably afloat until help can arrive. 

Take the next step: reveresurvival.com

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Rain, sun, hot days, cold nights, freezing temperatures, even snow and hail—yikes the elements can be hard on wood that’s left outdoors for months or years at a time by design.

We sailors know all too well the toll that the elements can take on the exterior wood that adorns our boats, which is why for centuries those who could afford it have chosen teak for its durability in topsides applications and for its natural good looks, resistance to rot, and strength when used for furniture and structural panels belowdecks.

“Teak loves water,” says Mal Haddad, vice president of Westminster Teak, a high-end furniture design and manufacturing company based in Live Oak, Florida. Haddad notes that it’s those very qualities appreciated by sailors that make teak an ideal choice for outdoor furniture at home, no matter where you live. Left with its natural finish, oil rises to the surface of the wood, its high oil content and relatively low coefficient of thermal expansion means teak can withstand large swings in temperature. In other words, it can be left outdoors year-round, even in snow-covered regions, without the wood warping, shrinking or expanding.

Haddad, with a background in industrial and ocean engineering, grew up in Singapore, where as a boy he was surrounded by exotic woods—especially teak—at the shipyard where his father built oceangoing tugs. After attending college here in the States, Haddad worked as a consultant to telecommunications companies and traveled extensively, but as a hobby, he began to design and build teak furniture, eventually opening a studio and gallery in Florida that was tailored to interior designers and other furniture designers. It was at the studio that he met Jim TenBroeck, who founded Westminster Teak in 1997. It took some persuasion, Haddad said, but eventually, 16 years ago, he brought his design skills to the company full time as vice president. Today, many of the designs in Westminster’s catalog are his.

And on the subject of design, Haddad is passionate. Because of teak’s longevity, furniture built from it will last years longer than pieces made from metals such as aluminum, or even plastics, he says. So, Westminster favors timeless styles that won’t fall in and out of favor, depending on the trend of the day. Several of Westminster’s designs date back to the company’s early days, and new models are introduced only after a lot of thought has gone into them.

Besides having a large collection of teak furniture of his own, Haddad says that he also collects bowls—not only as art, but as utensils that he uses around the house. Comparing bowls to furniture, he says: “It is an object you live with … and love! That’s good design.”

In the marine industry, recently the trend in production-boat building has been to find teak alternatives for decks, trim and interiors. This is due in part to cost, but also because of concerns about the availability and sustainability of the wood itself.

Haddad, though, is equally passionate about the environmental benefits and sustainability of properly grown and harvested teak. From the outset, Westminster has had a strategic partnership with an Indonesian factory that was the first to join Nusa Hijau, the Indonesian chapter of the Global Forest Trade Network. All its teak comes from sustainably harvested plantations in Java, Indonesia. Those plantations are managed by the Ministry of Forestry, Perum Perhutani, and every process of the teakwood, from forest to retail floor, is monitored and certified by third party technical organizations. Sustainability, he adds, also means making sure workers both in the plantations and in the factories are treated fairly and paid a living wage.

When people think of teak, Haddad says, they often think of luxury yachts and the lustrous, rich look of high-gloss varnished teak furniture and trim. That, says Haddad, is fine for wealthy owners who can afford to hire crew to cover chairs and tables when they’re not being used, or to frequently sand and revarnish rails and whatnot.

But teak, he says, will do just fine on its own if left unfinished outdoors and allowed to weather over time and develop a handsome silvery gray patina—a look that he says he prefers as it complements beautifully with the landscape of the outdoors , and often what is found aboard yachts with teak decks.

Upkeep is minimal, he says. All you need to do is wash down the teak a couple of times a year with dish soap and water, using a soft-bristle scrub brush to remove airborne dirt and the like. Don’t, he says, oil the teak for outdoor use, because moisture can find its way under the surface and cause mold or mildew that will stain the wood and difficult to remove. 

His advice for a homeowner: Invest in good-quality, well-designed outdoor furniture. Sit in it and enjoy its look and feel because it will be with you for a good long time.

For more information about Westminster Teak, visit their website at westminsterteak.com.

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Back in 2018, Mercury Marine thrilled boaters with the introduction of its V-6 and V-8 outboard engines, the result of the largest new-product development program in the company’s nearly 80-year history.

Now, the brand is adding the marine industry’s first V-10 outboard to its offerings. This Verado engine is available in 350 hp or 400 hp. It’s a 5.7-liter design that is compatible with Mercury SmartCraft technology. It also can be ordered with an optional dual-mode 48-volt/12-volt alternator to pair with Navico Group’s Fathom e-power system, an integrated lithium-ion auxiliary power management setup that lets boaters eliminate an onboard generator.

“They are powerful, smooth and quiet,” Chris Drees, president of Mercury Marine, said when introducing the V-10 Verado outboards. “They have many of the same fuel-efficiency-enhancing features that are synonymous with our high-horsepower lineup. They also deliver the same kind of premium boating experience that has made Verado outboards legendary.”

The company says it expects the V-10s to become a popular choice with owners of larger saltwater center-consoles, freshwater fishing boats that have single-engine setups, pontoon boats and smaller center-consoles. Each engine reportedly weighs 695 pounds and has the same 26-inch mount spacing as Mercury V-8 outboards, which means the V-10 is compatible with current boat designs. In addition, the V-10s are designed with multi-engine use or repowering in mind.

According to Mercury Marine, the new engines include the outboard industry’s first V-10 naturally aspirated powerhead. It uses 5.7-liter displacement and a quad-cam design to improve speed and acceleration. A 150-amp alternator is also part of the design and is intended to charge onboard batteries quickly while  supporting the boat’s electrical system.

Also part of the V-10 design is a new hydrodynamic gear case and a new Revolution X propeller. Mercury Marine says the larger diameter and wider blades on the prop, combined with the deep ratio of the gear case, result in better handling and acceleration, and in high efficiency from low speed to wide-open throttle. Advanced Range Optimization is part of the package, as is Adaptive Speed Control, which maintains engine rpm despite changes in load or conditions. That means boaters climbing large swells should have an easier time.

The V-10 Verados will also be compatible with a Mercury electric steering system for multi-outboard vessels that is expected to start shipping this month.

“We challenged our engineers to improve acceleration and overall performance with the new V-10 Verado outboards while also making them quieter and lighter than competitors’ outboards in this horsepower range,” said Tim Reid, Mercury Marine vice president of product development and engineering. “Once again, they exceeded expectations.”

Investing in the Future

Creating new engines like this V-10 outboard, and then bringing those products to consumers in a safe and reliable way, is neither cheap nor easy. That’s why Mercury Marine has invested heavily in research and development for quite some time now. Since 2008, the company has invested $2 billion on that front, including expanding its manufacturing footprint to more than 3 million square feet. 

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It has been more than two decades since Yacht Controller was created. The product, which enables handheld, wireless navigation from anywhere on board, is now used in dozens of countries. More than 26,000 systems have been delivered for use on some 270 boat brands.

As feedback poured in from all those boaters, it became clear that not all of them wanted the same experience. “We were finding out that you could put a 50-foot boat next to its twin, and Boater A will use it differently than Boater B,” says Tony Valiente, chief operating officer and managing partner of The Yacht Group. “One guy may be happy at idle-speed engine control, and another guy may want added-speed control, and a third guy may want faster-speed control. We weren’t able to accomplish those algorithms.”

And so, the Maximo Yacht Controller was born. It has a 64-bit quad-core processor that will allow it to evolve in tandem with all the other technologies that manufacturers of helm-navigation devices are creating today. The Maximo Yacht Controller has data storage, the ability to handle software and firmware updates, and more.

“The system also has the ability for remote Wi-Fi access,” Valiente says. “That means consumers can access the system via their smartphones and tablets, and my customer-service department can provide real-time customer support anywhere in the world that customers have Wi-Fi access.”

The Maximo Yacht Controller system is designed to be a plug-and-play operation, so it can be installed with new builds, professional refits and DIY upgrades. Installation should not affect other product warranties, Valiente says, because the company works with manufacturers of everything from engines to transmissions to ensure compatibility.

For yachts 85 feet and larger, the company also introduced the Maximo Platinum Series Edition Supremo. It uses CAN-bus cabling, which was not previously possible and which Valiente says allows it to work on increasingly larger superyachts: “We can run the cabling through 300 or 400 feet without losing transmission signal range.”

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Imtra has launched a new generation of DC electric thrusters called eVision.

eVision is an evolution of the 2011 Sleipner Proportional DC Thrusters. The new product contains what is reportedly the first electric motor designed specifically for marine thrusters, with an industry-leading run time at 100 percent thrust, lighter weight and a smaller size than comparable thrusters.

“Sleipner eVision is the result of years of dedicated development and hard work,” Steve Howd, aftermarket product manager of DC thrusters, Imtra, stated in a press release. “With its extreme efficiency and low amp draw, eVision is the ideal thruster solution for DC environments and a perfect fit for the growing interest in boat electrification.”

eVision is intended for boats 40 to 100 feet length overall. Imtra says this model has 30 percent less amperage draw than previous models, is quieter, is as much as 50 percent lighter than comparable models, and takes up 40 percent less space.

The new thrusters are compatible with Sleipner’s S-Link Control system and can be integrated for joystick control.

When will Sleipner eVision be available? It’s already available for new-boat production, and should become available this month for aftermarket refits.

Take the next step: go to imtra.com

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