The Sea-Doo Search and Rescue (SAR) watercraft from BRP, a world leader in the design, development, manufacture, distribution and marketing of motorised recreational, professional, powersport vehicles and propulsion systems, has been awarded the Product Design prize at the recent prestigious 60th anniversary Red Dot Awards.
The judges were particularly impressed with the Sea-Doo SAR’s groundbreaking design, which includes the Rotax® 4-TEC® naturally aspirated engine, Sea-Doo’s Closed-Loop Cooling System (CLCS) and its Intelligent Brake and Reverse (iBR®) system. As a result, its robust design has been constructed to perform successfully in extreme conditions.
The Sea-Doo SAR seamlessly combines key safety, stability, agility and performance features to enable emergency services to respond effectively in rescue and life threatening situations.
The watercraft is built with dual sponsons and running boards that provide stability and buoyancy required in surf and whitewater, during a flood or along a rocky coastline. Its shallow water features include a shock protective elastomer coating, anti-debris water intake grate, a stainless steel wear ring, internal heat exchanger and a shock-protected cooling system that enables the watercraft to respond quickly in emergency operations. The Sea-Doo SAR excels in rescue missions but is also ideal for evacuation, surveillance and interception.
Tim Gys, Regional BRP Commercial Manager UK, Ireland, said, “This is BRP’s first response vehicle solely dedicated to professionals involved in emergency operations. Our engineers collaborated closely with search and rescue services to ensure there was minimum risk to injury on the water while improving the watercraft’s performance. It’s a real achievement to be awarded this well esteemed prize and recognises the international team’s hard work in delivering world class technology and pioneering designs.”
Since 1955, Red Dot accolade has recognised companies and individuals who are demonstrating trendsetting designs through their products. This year, 4928 projects from 56 countries were submitted to the jury. Only 81 entries received the top award, the ‘Red Dot: Best of the Best’, while 122 won an ‘Honourable Mention’ for a well-executed aspect of design work. All products were evaluated on their functionality; degree of innovation; formal quality; ergonomics; durability; symbolic and emotional contact; self-explanatory quality; product periphery and ecological compatibility.
