Welcome to Marinebeam's new web page and blog.
Who could imagine when we first got started, back in 2007, that LEDs would become mainstream so quickly, or that Marinebeam.com would grow to be one of the internet's go-to pages for marine LEDs and other innovative gear?
Marinebeam was started by a cruising sailor who saw great potential in LED lighting for boats, and started a humble business to sell his hand-built LED bulbs to cruisers. What started as a part-time passion is now a full-time job with employees, manufacturing, two warehouses, a European sales office, and more than 250 products.
2015 is going to be a busy year. We have many new products coming, and all sorts of interesting happenings. Here are some of the highlights:
1. Because of crazy demand, we will ramp up manufacturing of our patented Long Range Illuminator flashlight. After we sent a sample to Ben Ellison at Panbo.com, the publicity quickly went viral, and just about every sailing, fishing, and boating magazine featured it. This caused widespread panic back here at Marinebeam, as these were being lovingly crafted one at a time. We are finally catching up, and will expand the manufacturing to include several new models. If you haven't seen this device, you absolutely won't believe it. No other LED flashlight can, or will, be able to touch it.
2. We visited 3 European boat shows and 2 LED shows last year, and found some fantastic new products. We will be bringing these products to North America this year. This includes Cristec Battery Chargers and Hydrogenerators, as well as a whole new generation of touch LED lighting fixtures, and high energy-density batteries. We also have some other unique products to share with you this spring. We were also named the US Distributor for Scheiber.
3. Due to the continued interest and supply of our products to boat builders and OEMs, we will exhibit at IBEX for the first time in 2015. We will primarily be promoting our new Energy Harvesting Wireless Dimming and DC Switching System. This system is primarily used by OEMs to increase functionality and save labor when wiring boats, RVs, and specialty vehicles.
4. We have upgraded our Marinekinetix wind generator for 2015. We sought out, and invested in, a high-tech nano-coat technology, Dacromet, which protects from corrosion by acting as a self-healing undercoat. We then are applying two coats of epoxy powder-coat to get a gleaming and corrosion resistant finish. The second coat requires 40,000 Volts of static electricity to apply the powder. We also updated the Charge Controller circuitry and eliminated the fan. The MarineKinetix MK450 has quickly become one of the highest performing, quietest, and most sought-after marine wind generators on the planet.
5. We are opening our fulfillment center in the Charleston area (Johns Island, SC) in January. Please welcome Nathan and Jason in customer service to Charleston. All online orders, shipments, customer service, and returns will now be supported from Charleston. Our 6,400 sq ft Piedmont facility is still active, but will now service our OEM and Wholesale customers, as well as Packaging, Light Assembly, Purchasing, Engineering and our test Lab.
6. You have probably already noticed our new webpage! This is a big effort, and we are working hard to get it up to 100%. We have a new and updated look, and an all new e-commerce platform. Pardon our dust!
And 2015 is just getting started!