Sea Tow Foundation names its 2026 winners
The Sea Tow Foundation and its Boating Safety Advisory Council presented the 2026 National Boating Safety Awards at the International BoatBuilders Exhibition and Conference in Tampa on 6 October. The eighth annual programme recognises nine approaches to improving safety in recreational boating, from practical lessons to digital education and emergency technology. Winners were identified by the foundation and announced in October as examples of efforts to promote confident and responsible boating.
The categories have been revised for 2026 to focus on the results of specific initiatives. The awards do not rank every boat, club or training company in the marine industry. Their value is in identifying programmes that people can learn from or consider joining. An additional Boating Safety Excellence Award highlights one initiative considered especially important over time.
BoatClass puts students behind the helm
BoatClass won Best Boating Safety Education and Training Program for hands-on courses taught by certified captains. Training involves boat handling, docking, anchoring, navigation, VHF communication and responses to emergencies. The organisation operates in more than forty locations across the United States and Canada and reports that 440 students received about 1,300 hours of on-water instruction during the last year.
Such practical sessions help beginners apply ideas first introduced in books or online courses. Students can learn how wind or current changes a manoeuvre and discover why clear communication is important when several people work aboard. Recognition of the programme should not be confused with a guarantee that a newly trained participant can safely handle any vessel or weather condition.
SUNY Maritime receives two distinctions
SUNY Maritime College won Best Youth Boating Safety Initiative for its Maritime Adventure Boat Camp. During multiple two-week summer sessions, young people learn about powerboating, sailing, kayaking, swimming and general marine safety. The foundation reports that around ninety to one hundred participants earn their New York State Boating Safety Certificates each summer, including children who had little or no previous experience of boating.
The college's camp also received the foundation's Boating Safety Excellence Award, the programme's highest recognition. For nearly two decades it has connected formal education with direct experience, giving young participants opportunities to develop confidence on the water. This is a distinct honour in addition to the youth category prize, not an additional award shared by all the finalists.
Paddlers learn how to fit life jackets
Sawyer Paddles and Oars received Best Boating Safety Community Engagement Program for Fit to Float. The project was developed with the Oregon State Marine Board and other local partners. A three-month campaign used information and community events, finishing with face-to-face fitting sessions at eight locations to help paddlers understand why a properly selected life jacket matters.
A life jacket cannot perform as intended if it is unsuitable for the wearer or fitted incorrectly. Public demonstrations may help people understand size, straps and the difference between equipment intended for various activities. The campaign shows how a safety message can become more useful when volunteers or instructors help participants apply it in person rather than simply distribute leaflets.
Online instruction and automatic alerts
The Qualified Captain won Best Boating Safety Digital Initiative for a NASBLA-approved online education course. It uses realistic situations, video, expert knowledge and animations to explain boating rules and likely hazards. BoatClass was named runner-up in the digital category. Electronic lessons can build knowledge conveniently, though they are best complemented by experience handling the particular kind of boat a participant expects to use.
Garmin received Best Boating Safety Product or Technology Innovation for OnBoard, a wireless man-overboard detection and engine cutoff system. With compatible equipment it can monitor up to eight tags, stop an engine if the designated captain goes overboard and warn the crew when another person enters the water. The award recognises innovation, not a replacement for flotation devices, drills or effective recovery procedures.
Partnership and dealer programmes recognised
The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Paddlecraft Safety Division and Cross Currents Leadership won Best Boating Safety Partnership or Collaborative Initiative for 2026 Spring Auxiliary Training. Sixty-five participants from nineteen states attended the four-day programme, which resulted in thirty-six new or updated instructor certifications. Educational media and outreach helped the work reach people who had not attended in person.
Causeway Marine won Best Marine Dealer Boating Safety Effort through its Become a Better Boater initiative. The New Jersey dealer organises boating certificate classes, captain referrals, docking demonstrations and continued learning. Its courses have helped more than four hundred people earn certification since 2024, according to the award announcement. MarineMax Miami received runner-up recognition for its own safety initiatives.
Campaigns address distress signals and injuries
ACR Electronics won Best Integrated Boating Safety Campaign for helping boaters understand electronic visual distress signalling devices, often called electronic flares. Its work combined video, written material, emails and industry outreach explaining how this equipment can be used and the relevant rules. Lakeland Boating Magazine was named runner-up. Appropriate use and carriage requirements still need to be checked for individual boats.
John Sewell, Freedom Boat Club's director of safety, received Best Individual Boating Safety Advocate. His programme covers 170 locations across eleven states and two countries, using incident reports, coaching and a Safety Champion network. Freedom Boat Club reports a forty-one percent year-on-year reduction in injuries associated with boarding and leaving vessels, as well as thousands of safety observations.
Lessons that outlast an awards ceremony
Taken together, the winners show that safer boating is not achieved through a single technology or publicity campaign. Training, clearly understood rules, suitable equipment, practical demonstrations and a willingness to learn from accidents all have roles. Digital systems may shorten the delay before a crew notices trouble, while effective education can help prevent an unsafe decision being made in the first place.
The foundation's announcement records winners selected for 2026, not a continuing vote or a prediction of future results. Boat owners can use the recognised projects as starting points when choosing instruction, reviewing life jackets or practising emergency procedures. The lasting value of the awards will depend on whether the ideas are applied regularly and made accessible to more boating communities.
