VESPER WINS NMEA PRODUCT OF EXCELLENCE AWARD IN THE AIS CATEGORY

Vesper Wins Product Excellence

Oct 13, 2020

Vesper Marine, a leading manufacturer of innovative marine safety products, announced today the WatchMate XB-8000 smartAIS has been awarded the Product of Excellence Award by the 2020 National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) Conference and Expo in the AIS category. The awards were presented virtually on Saturday, September 26, 2020.

The Product of Excellence Awards are voted on by professional marine electronics installing NMEA dealers, qualified NMEA technicians and fellow marine electronics manufacturers.

“We are honored to have our XB-8000 selected as a Product of Excellence winner and are grateful to the NMEA for their support,” said Brady Cox, Vesper Marine CEO. “Our smartAIS technology we built for this product has become widely known in the industry and trusted by our customers. With well proven benefits, we chose to carry this innovative functionality into further product lines, including our Vision2 and revolutionary Cortex system that reimagines VHF technology.”

The Vesper smartAIS transponders incorporate built-in safety alarms to alert boaters of potential collision, dragging anchor and man overboard situations. An extensible platform, smartAIS receives new innovative features updated automatically through a smartphone app. The XB-8000 smartAIS device includes WiFi connectivity for up to five mobile devices anywhere on board, allowing boaters using the WatchMate app to monitor vessel information, manage alarms and much more – right from their mobile device.

The smartAIS technology developed for the WatchMate XB-8000 and Vision products has received numerous awards and has become a key part of future product development for Vesper Marine. smartAIS was a building block of the recently released Vesper Marine Cortex, the world’s first VHF radio with wireless touchscreen handsets, a built-in Class B SOTDMA smartAIS transponder and remote vessel monitoring. Using smartAIS, Cortex provides unparalleled safety by alerting boaters of collision risks, providing key information about the potential threat and making it easy to communicate. Touchscreen handsets make typically complicated functions easy to use. 

For more information on the XB-8000 smartAIS system, Cortex or Vesper Marine visit www.vespermarine.com.

Related Posts

Good Advice that You Can Share – The Art of Anchoring  

Unless a boat is secured, it will drift away. If it cannot be attached to something secure, such as a dock, piling, mooring buoy, tree, or boulder, it must be anchored. There is much more to anchoring than simply tossing the anchor over the side. 
 
An anchoring system has two parts: the anchor itself and the rode which connects the anchor to the boat. To be effective, an anchor must have good holding power, and the rode must be strong enough to withstand the strains that are put on it. 

Read More

Changing Scene

Need to Catch up on News This Week?

Every Tuesday we publish a fresh Digest with informative articles pertaining to the Canadian boating and marine industry. Stay up to date with the latest products, research and industry developments.

Missed an Issue of Boating Industry Canada News Week? If you’re looking for a specific issue, or simply want to catch up on previous issues, check out our Boating Industry Canada News Week Archives.

Not signed up for News Week? Subscribe here.

Just Launched

Rayglass 2400 makes its Australian debut at the 2026 Sydney Boat Show

Rayglass Boats, a Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC) brand and a globally recognized designer and manufacturer of premium power boats, today announced that Australian boaters will get their first chance to see the Rayglass 2400 it in person for the first time. Queensland Marine Centre will bring the 2400 to the 2026 Sydney Boat Show, running 30 July – 2 August at Sydney Showgrounds, Sydney Olympic Park at Stand D104. The next generation 2700 will also be on display.

Read More

ePropulsion Enters Powered Kayak Fishing Market with Innovative kLite Electric Outboard

ePropulsion Americas, the global leader in marine electric propulsion systems and services, has announced that it is entering the powered kayak market with the all-new kLite 750 electric outboard. Building on the award-winning technology that shattered convention with the highly portable eLite, the kLite 750 is powerful, but contained in a lightweight and compact form factor ideal for recreational or fishing kayaks alike.

Read More

People