As we get closer to the end of the calendar year a new paddlesports season is about to kickoff. Several years back Paddling Magazine created the Paddling Magazine Industry Awards as an opportunity for brands to showcase their new products and let paddlers vote and decide who is the most innovative and exciting. These awards were created to allow the paddlesports industry to have a standalone platform aside from other popular awards like the ICAST New Product Showcase that have a mix of paddling to fishing and everything in between.
Voting for this year’s awards opens on October, 5, 2023 and this year we have three products in three different categories in the running. The categories this year are as follows: Paddling Accessory, Rigging & Outfitting, Safety & Rescue, Paddle, Transport/Storage/Launching, Clothing/Apparel, SUP, Canoe, Whitewater Boat, Recreational Kayak, Sea/Touring Kayak, and Fishing Boat & Board. The three YakAttack products are all new that were released this year and include the Through Hull XL Wiring Kit, BarCart Kayak Cart, and the recently released TracPak. Here is the LINK to cast your vote.
TracPak – Included in the Best Paddling Accessory Category
MSRP: $50.00 for the TracPak Combo Kit
Product Description: Secure, quick access, and versatility were the foundational requirements when designing the TracPak. We wanted the ability to mount one or two storage boxes on a MightyMount or GearTrac, and with the TracPak, you can stack two boxes onto a single mounting point, helping save track space for other accessories. The TracPak features a quick release track base compatible with all YakAttack MightyMounts, GearTrac, and most other factory-installed kayak track. LINK to product page.
Key Features:
- Stackable storage boxes
- Quick Release Base
- Can be track-mounted or surface mounted
- Compatible with the BlackPack Pro
- Internal dims: 8.375” x 5.375” x 2.375”
Through Hull XL– Included in the Best Rigging & Outfitting Accessory Category
MSRP: $35.00
Product Description: The Through Hull XL Wiring Kit is a larger version of our standard through hull kit with a 1.5" hole designed around larger diameter components like couplers for live imagining transducers like the Garmin Livescope or bow-mounted trolling motors like the MotorGuide Xi3. It could also be used on popular removable fish finder pods on kayaks as well as other applications where wires are needed to be ran through the hull of a kayak or boat. It is compatible with the GridLoc Mounting Platform featured on the BlackPak Pro, which opens up the possibilities for many more applications like using your BlackPak Pro as a battery box for your motor, actions cameras, etc. LINK to product page.
Key Features:
- 2 x grommets with stainless steel hardware
- 12 x rubber inserts with common hole sizes
- Hole sizing ranges from 0.217” to 0.550” in diameter
- 4 x blank rubber inserts
- Compatible with the hole pattern on the BlackPak Pro
BarCart Kayak Cart– Included in the Best Transport/Storage/Launching Category
MSRP: $250.00
Product Description: Combining best-in-class quality and durability with never-before-seen features and functionality, the TowNStow BarCart is one of the most highly engineered and versatile products we’ve ever produced! Designed for extreme duty, the BarCart is universal, collapsible, user-friendly, and robust, requiring no tools to assemble or disassemble. Nothing about this design is what you’d expect, but your expectation will never be the same after using it. With the push of a button or the flip of a lever, the BarCart can be deployed, adjusted, or collapsed in seconds. And with two bunk bar configurations, it boasts unprecedented compatibility with different hull shapes. LINK to product page.
Key Features:
- Optimized for most kayaks
- No loose fasteners or hardware
- tool-less adjustments
- Multiple integrated tie down points
- Dual bunk orientations
- Collapsible for easy storage
- Flat surface rating: 450 lbs.
- Trail rating: 300 lbs.
- 5" Drop rating: 200 lbs.
