West Marine Announces "Green Product of the Year" Honorees:

WATSONVILLE, Calif., Feb. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- West Marine (Nasdaq: WMAR), the country's largest retailer of boating supplies and accessories, announced today that three products were selected as "Green Product of the Year" Honorees.  Entropy's Super Sap epoxy, Torqeedo's Travel 1003 Electric Outboard and the Lehr Propane Powered Outboard Motor share the top honor and the $10,000 prize. 

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120216/SF53961)

The panel of esteemed judges who selected the "Green Product of the Year" Honorees included: Stan Honey, Ocean Racing Navigator, founder of Etak and SportVision; Dr. Randy Kochevar, Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station; Mike Sutton, VP of the Monterey Bay Aquarium; Bill Lee, Owner, Wizard Yacht Sales; Jim Leishman, Owner & VP of Nordhavn Yachts; Margaret Podlich, President, BoatUS; Dr. Laura Strohm, President of Strohm Sustainability Consulting; Randy Repass, Chairman and Founder of West Marine; Ron Japinga, EVP, Merchandising, West Marine; and Chuck Hawley, VP Product Information, West Marine. 

The judges made their selection based on effectiveness, cost-competitiveness, environmental impact, degree of innovation and verification of claims. 

"Super Sap epoxy has the same properties that have made other epoxy resins popular with boaters for bonding, filleting, coating, and reinforcing. The difference is that about a third of the Super Sap ingredients come from waste streams of paper and bio-diesel production, and therefore reduces the amount of petroleum needed for manufacturing," said Hawley.  "We like the combination of product performance and reduced use of non-renewable resources."

The Torqeedo Travel 1003 Electric Outboard was selected because it provides hours of quiet power, and can be used on lakes that prohibit internal combustion engines.  Its built-in GPS eliminates "range anxiety" and shows you exactly how much power and range remain. "The inclusion of a GPS and power monitoring display gives the owner of the Travel 1003 fascinating insight into the operation of the motor, as well as providing the ability to plan your battery use accurately."

The Lehr series of propane outboards eliminate many of the hassles of gas-powered engines. "They produce far fewer pollutants for the air and water, and they allow cruisers to cast off without the need to carry gasoline onboard for dinghies," said Hawley. "Propane is produced domestically, and doesn't deteriorate when stored like gasoline can. It's a clean and relatively inexpensive fuel."

Customers can visit West Marine's booth at the Miami International Boat Show, or online via westmarine.com to learn more about these products or any of West Marine's 75,000 other product offerings.

About West Marine

West Marine, the largest specialty retailer of boating supplies and accessories, has over 310 company-owned stores located in 38 states, Puerto Rico and Canada and three franchised stores located in Turkey. Our call center and Internet channels offer Customers over 75,000 products plus the convenience of exchanging catalog and Internet purchases at our Store locations.  Our Port Supply division is one of the largest wholesale distributors of marine equipment serving boat manufacturers, marine services, commercial vessel operators and government agencies. For more information on West Marine's products and store locations, or to start shopping, visit westmarine.com or call 1-800-BOATING (1-800-262-8464).

SOURCE West Marine