Miami Innovation Awards Recipients Stun Boating Industry

Emily Bennett

Feb 13, 2025 — 1 min read

Courtesy of NMMA.

At the 2025 Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show, the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and Boating Writers International (BWI) celebrated innovation by honoring 12 recipients and three honorable mentions with the prestigious Miami Innovation Awards during the Industry Breakfast. These awards recognize manufacturers and suppliers who have introduced groundbreaking products to the marine market.

The judging panel, composed of seven BWI members with extensive expertise in marine products and equipment, evaluated numerous entries across various categories. Tim Murphy, chair of the judging committee, remarked, "We live in a time of fundamental change in boating—how we store and use energy, how we control our boats, how we collect and send dynamic information, how we draw in younger boaters and those who haven’t tried it yet. There are so many new ways to enjoy time on the water, and the 2025 Innovation Awards are showcasing those changes as they happen."

Among the notable winners was YANMAR Marine International in the Alternative Propulsion category for their E-Saildrive. Judge Kelsey Bonham praised the product, stating, "Yanmar’s first all-electric saildrive is a specialist rather than a generalist, tailor-made for luxury daysailers and small coastal cruisers. The E-Saildrive is refined by its closed loop oil cooling system, which negates all raw water contact, and by the high-quality, well-thought-through engineering throughout." Other distinguished winners included Azimut Yachts in the Cabin Cruisers, Motor Yachts, Trawlers category for the Azimut Fly 72, and SOLACE Boats in the Center Console/Walkaround Fishing Boats category for the SOLACE 37 Pilot.

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