It’s hard to imagine stepping onto a tender without a smartphone or similar personal electronic device to be in contact, capture the moment, browse online or even – particularly in the case of crew – to access handy charting or similar apps while away from the mother ship. The problem, of course, is that the extraordinary capabilities of modern devices come at a price – limited battery life. It’s a perennial issue – do you hope to make it through the day on one charge or carry some from of power pack for recharging on the fly? Fortunately, UK-based company Scanstrut has been thinking hard about this very modern problem and has come up with a number of solutions. Last year they introduced a waterproof twin USB charging socket that could be mounted on the console of a tender, offering the chance to power or charge personal devices while also giving protection from the unforgiving environment of open-air blasting in sea air and in all weathers. But development did not stop at that first model, and Scanstrut has now launched an updated version.

The ROKK Charge+ is a waterproof dual USB socket that mounts to a tender console or similar and which offers crew and guests the chance to power or charge two devices simultaneously while on expedition away from the mother ship. Not only does it afford the opportunity for charging devices, it also means that USB-powered gear can be added and used as part of the tender’s electronics suite – especially when combined with Scanstrut’s flexible modular ROKK Mini device mounting system.

The new USB socket is essentially an updated, uprated version of the socket that the company launched in 2016, and the new model features several enhancements. First, the Charge+ is rated IPX6 – rather than the IPX4 of the original model – for waterproofing. Second, it offers charging speeds three times that of the original socket. It also features a smaller, more slimline design. “The feedback from the market,” explains Grant Fox, marketing manager at Scanstrut, “was that the first version was a bit too large, especially for the smaller boat, tenders and RIBs market and aesthetically it wasn’t as great as the newer version.”

The new socket is not only turning heads in the small boat, tender and superyacht market – it has also been nominated for a DAME Award at this year’s METSTRADE show in Amsterdam. In fact, Scanstrut features on the DAME Awards listing twice, with the second product being a disability conversion kit that can be fitted to a standard RS sailing dinghy. “The receive two DAME 2017 nominations is a fantastic achievement,” enthuses Fox. “The ROKK Charge+ has been a groundbreaking product for the marine industry allowing USB charging with IPX6 waterproofing while in use. Further, we have received a nomination for our Para Sailing System, which converts a standard RS sailing dinghy to be sailed by anyone who has a range of disabilities.”

The company is also working on expanding its ROKK Mini range of modular device holders and attachments, which enable anything from GoPro cameras and iPhones to tablets and larger consumer or marine grade electronics to be mounted just about anywhere on the mother ship, tender or even the toys in the superyacht garage. The innovations don’t stop there though, and Scanstrut is bring several other products to market, some of which will debut during the METSTRADE show in November. “We’re going to be adding to our growing ROKK charging gear with waterproof wireless charging models which can be installed all over the boat, as well as a very exciting waterproof battery product for use all day out at sea, plus a lot more products besides," says Fox. “It’s about being able to use technology in whatever format you like in any location,” he concludes, “and that’s where we want to take the ROKK charging and Mini systems.”

The Scanstrut range of mounts and chargers makes an excellent addition to your tenders and toys – just one of the things we consider in detail in The Superyacht Annual Report 2017: Tenders & Toys, alongside unparalleled, insightful data and analysis of the tenders and toy market in general. To order your copy, click here.

Technology will be a key focus in this year’s The Superyacht Forum, taking place 13-16 November at Amsterdam RAI alongside the METSTRADE show. Following a theme of A 10-year Blueprint for the Superyacht Market, the forum is set to be the networking highlight of the superyacht calendar, with 800 delegates and key decision makers from the technology, operations, owner and family office, project management, yard and construction sectors brought together to discuss the key factors affecting and influencing our industry. To book your place and for further information, click here.

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