Separating what is just good marketing from what is worth spending your money on can take time away from those precious summer hours on the boat. To save you time, we’ve sifted through the summer’s gadgets and gizmos to create the ultimate 2025 gear guide.
Water Safety Throw
$35
As far as safety upgrades go, this one speaks for itself. Forget your cumbersome throw bag and pick up the Fox 40 Water Safety Throw. It may look like a football, but the handle on top means a quarterback is not required. It’s aerodynamic, easy to spot and holds 15 metres of premium polypropylene floating rope inside. If there’s a person overboard, pull the rope plug, throw and see for yourself why this award-winning product deserves a spot in your kit. fox40world.com
Water Bike
$5,500-$6,200
If you love cycling but feel limited by the shore, great news: the Red Shark water bike is designed like a paddleboard but with bike pedals powering the propellors underneath. It comes in three basic models: enjoy, fitness and adventure, as well as an electric model that introduces the e-bike to the water. It’s the perfect gift to the ocean-yearning cyclist in your life. If that’s you, it’s what’s always been missing from your gear shed. redsharkbikescanada.com
Deckvest NEMO and NEMO+
$100
Spinlock’s Deckvest NEMO life jacket is the perfect gear addition for a family at sea or dockside. It’s buoyant and quick to turn your kid upright in the water, complete with a colourful design and front grab-handle to quickly reverse an overboard situation. What really makes this product purchase-worthy is the back harness for safely anchoring your child to a boat or dock, ensuring strong currents never get the best of weak swimmers. spinlock.co.uk
Keen’s Newport H2
$130
The Keen Newport H2s are a standout in hiking footwear collections. Hitting the trails along the West Coast means preparing for any kind of terrain. That makes it hard to find the perfect shoe. The Newport H2 embraces the environment you live in. Instead of avoiding a creek or stream, walk right through it and feel the current. They have high-traction rubber soles that perform in and out of the water. They’re lightweight, breezy and they dry off fast. They’re a sandal, they’re a hiking shoe, they’re soon to be the only shoe you reach for heading out the door.
Inflatable Pup Plank
$250-$470
For the braver pets, a week at sea means fresh scents, new horizons and time in the water. Getting back in the boat? Easier said than done. To make this herculean task easy as a Sunday morning try using the Inflatable Pup Plank from Solstice Watersports. It’s designed to help dogs help themselves out of the water. A weighted mesh staircase stays submerged and a claw-safe floor greets pups at the surface. Your boat’s scratched-up swim platform and your aching lower back will thank you for this purchase. solsticewatersports.com
Mini Scuba Breathing System
$450
Totally unique and useful for any underwater experience, the Orca 500 is a novelty soon-to-be a necessity in your kit. Users should still be scuba certified, and it’s worth it for this gadget. With a 0.5-litre tank, its light weight makes reef exploration more fun and cleaning your boat as easy as taking a breath. For the practiced scuba diver, the Orca 500 also serves as a reliable backup tank as far down as 30 metres. For recreational use, it’s best kept closer to the surface. orca.surf
Atlas 190 Life Jacket
$450
Mustang Survival has long been a leading brand in PFDs and all-weather gear. The newest Atlas 190 Life Jacket? It takes the cake. It tops the chart. It floats. Streamlined and fashionable, it looks good and feels comfortable. When it really gets to work, the neon bladder keeps mariners upright, above water and its new design deflects waves even without the spray hood. With a light beacon addon, rescue times are shortened while your comfort is enhanced. Since every person on board needs a life jacket, consider the Atlas 190. mustangsurvival.ca
