Fostering B2B editorial excellence
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF David Gee | dgee @ epgacceleration. com
MANAGING EDITOR Krystina Skibo | kskibo @ epgacceleration. com
TOP 100 PROGRAM DIRECTOR Adam Quandt | aquandt @ epgacceleration. com
ART DIRECTOR Lindsay Zigan Peterson | lzigan @ epgacceleration. com
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Roberto Almenar | ralmenar @ epgacceleration. com | 763.383.4494
Innovation Is Still the Industry’ s Best Fuel
Every year, this issue gives us a chance to do something important: recognize the people, companies and ideas making the boating experience better. And it matters.
Because in the boating business, progress does not happen by accident. It happens because someone looks at a hull, a motor, a display, a docking system, a trailer, a piece of safety gear or a customer pain point and says,“ There has to be a better way.” Then they build it. This year’ s Top Products once again span the full range of the boating experience, all designed to make time on the water safer, easier, more enjoyable and even more accessible. Some products represent major technological leaps. Others are refinements that solve a specific problem in a smarter way. But together, they tell a larger story about where boating is headed. And that story is bigger than horsepower, screen size, materials, software or styling. Innovation is one of the clearest signals that an industry is alive. It says manufacturers are still investing. Engineers are still testing. Designers are still listening. Dealers are still asking better questions. Customers are still expecting more. And the best companies are still willing to challenge old assumptions about how boats are built, sold, serviced and used. That is especially important right now. The recreational boating industry is not operating in a simple environment. Affordability remains a concern. Consumer confidence can be uneven. Interest rates, inventory dynamics, labor pressures and shifting customer expectations continue to shape the marketplace.
And we are competing against every other way people can spend their recreational time and treasure. In that kind of climate, it can be tempting to pull back, play defense and wait for clearer skies. But the boating industry can’ t wait its way into the future. It must innovate its way there. New products create reasons for customers to pay attention. They give dealers better stories to tell. They help manufacturers separate themselves in a crowded market. They solve problems that once created friction. They make boating feel more intuitive to newcomers and more rewarding to lifelong boaters. That means product innovation is not a luxury. It is part of the industry’ s growth strategy. The products featured here represent more than annual awards. They represent momentum. They represent the industry’ s refusal to stand still. And they represent the kind of thinking that will continue to shape boating’ s next chapter.
In a business built around experiences, memories and time well spent with friends and family, innovation is not just about what is new. It is about what makes boating better. Congrats to everyone responsible for doing that, and for bringing the products on the following pages to life.
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4 may 2026 www. boatingindustry. com