10 Watersports Accessory Innovations You Now Couldn't Live Without:

Strong flex, I know, but you have a look at the list and see for yourself, you don't acquire a top tier team of die-hard watersports enthusiasts without creating some exciting solutions from time to time. We're also big fans of feedback and never ending development. 

1. Joey Water Bottle Holder

Water bottle holder sounds like a simple idea and certainly not a new concept but this is a whole new world of a solution, keeping things lighter & softer on your vessel as well as easy to remove and put back on somewhere else, washable and secure. Use the velcro straps at either end of the neoprene sleeve to wrap around your boat spars, rails , masts, tubes or even a dry bag or bungee at the front or your SUP or Kayak. It actually won a DAME design innovation award in 2019 so naturally I had to give it top spot in the blog.

2. Combi Gloves

It's like if your gloves could do more than just one thing. The Combi Gloves came out of a requirement to be even warmer for your hands on those cold, wet, windy waves. Hands are always the first to go and make us want to rush back to shore, we've all been there, trying to push through the total numbness in your fingers. Initially designed for that awful wait between sailing races in the cold, the Combi Gloves have a hidden pocked at the back of the hand from which to pull out an Aquafleece® (water and wind resistant) mit to put over the top of the neoprene fingers. Naturally, you wouldn't want to race with them like this, hence the stow away pocket for action mode. You could even go one step further and get some hand warmer pouches and slot them into that pocket into the back of the hand as well.

If you're familiar with Rooster then you're familiar with our obsession with layering (if you're not, well.. we have an obsession with layering - best way to get warm, best way to get cool), these gloves are just the next step up, we encourage the use of our glove liners underneath as well in cold temperatures and have found the Combi Gloves to be great for SUPping and Kayaking as well, any cold water training and you have to give these a look in.
NB sports where over gripping becomes an issue and you start to develop forearm pump - Wakeboarding, Kitesurfing, windsurfing etc. - take a look at wearing just our glove liners Hot Hands or PolyPro™ glove liners they are much thinner than any neoprene gloves on the market but still give you more warmth than none.

3. RaceArmour Deck Pads for Technical Shorts

Padding your clothing isn't just for dinghy hikers and rugby shoulders. Technical Shorts are cooling, abrasion resistant shorts with well designed pockets and systems that are hugely functional and comfortable for the competitive keelboat sailor, our Deck Pad inserts take them another step further. We have designed Technical shorts to be able to fit these in seamlessly. Made of M.I.S.R.A foam (Mouldable Impact Shock Resistant Armour) that is very firm for shock absorption as well as memory active to perfectly mould to your unique shape for comfort and ease of movement. Keelboat hiking just became painless.

4. Race Armour Knee Pads

There comes a point in all of our lives where we just cannot stop complaining about our knees, at that level I can't think of who these would not suit but with an ultimately soft yet super abrasion resistant outer, these knee pads are most effective for anyone working hard on the water. We use NBR rubber on the inside – this has minimal water absorption so weight will not be added to the pads when wet, the properties of the rubber also mean that the pad will mould to your body slightly and also adds some shock absorption for those falls and knocks. This is all combined in a lycra sleeve with breathable mesh fabric on the back of the knee - because we all get back of the knee sweat and we don't want it. The long length means that the pads also have upper shin protection so if you are spending a lot of time plugging in at the bow on your shins and knees, you absolutely have to give these a go.

5. Splicing Toolkit

I absolutely froth a organising solution, I'm all about travel pouches, pencil cases, tea bag organisers and peg boards. Nothing can fuel an obsession quite like an organiser for it and splicing is quite the skill to obsess over. In the grand scheme of things splicing is an incredibly niche market but we're so obsessed with it that we wanted to fuel your fire, fan the flames, put you up on a plinth and tell you to splice your heart out and be proud of it! Or, y'know we just wanted one for ourselves so we made one for everyone too. Compartments for all your splicing tools, lighter, whipping twine, palm, reinforced cushion for sewing needles available with contents or without contents. An absolute dream if you were ever the kid in school who had a new pencil case every year.

6. Rooster Pro Grip - Brushed EVA Deck Tape

Another chandlery one for the Chang Gang (We call chandlery 'chang' here, changers, chang heads chang fans everything chang in the office, we don't know where the 'g' came from in the abbreviation either but it stuck). We've been working on a video for this so stay tuned. It's quite difficult to explain and get across just how great it is when what it is seems so simple, there was a trapeze sailor in the States who posted a video of himself absolutely losing it over how epicly sticky it actually is. It's for your rails and deck, it moulds to fit the surface applied to providing a strong connection and durable grip. When you want to remove it, it's easy and clean and does not leave any residue when peeled off - which is a pretty big flex in the world of deck grip and we're proud of it. It's also available in 6 different colours so you hard to please pink or orange lovers will have an absolute field day.

7. Hot Hands & Hot Socks

I mentioned the importance of glove liners above but we also do like to bang on about the importance of socks and boot liners as well - ones that are well adapted to conditions on the water, because the next thing to go after your fingers is your toes (sometimes toes go first, I know, but it really depends on the person, the sport and the conditions on the day). Our Hot Hands and Socks have a lightweight titanium lining and are 0.5mm neoprene, very thin but with a warm silvery material against your skin, designed to get as hot as possible.

8. Aquafleece® Neck Gaiter

An oldie from Rooster but a goodie, so good that the motorcyclists have got involved in a big way. Aquafleece® (wind and waterproof) on one side and breathable brushed Polypro™ on the other with an adjustable toggle, it's an invention that's almost infallible. So simple yet totally versatile, if you push the toggle all the way in you have a make-shift hat but for the most part you'll have it on your neck and pull it over your face when you start getting that face-freeze (you know the one) or go full open face balaclava, goes well under a helmet too, hence the latest enthusiasm from motorcyclists, but you don't have to be wearing a full face helmet to reap the benefits of the gaiter.

9. Recycled Knit Beanie

As well as practical innovation we have a duty to look forwards, our materials, packaging, shipping, ways of doing things, making things, working on things and seeing things is always improved upon so that we are providing the most economical, environmentally friendly products that we can. The Recycled Knit beanie is on here as an individual example of the work we've been doing to push forward, recycle and clean the planet. It's a humble step but these beanies mean that there might just be fewer plastic bottles floating out on the water and that's cool with us.

10. Aquafleece® Balaclava

Let me take you back to the Aquafleece® Neck Gaiter but raise you an entire face with a hole for your eyes, perfect if you just want to cover the hell up in the cold because that face freeze is no joke, we feel it, it's refreshing, then it slowly becomes a fun killer, I'd put it as maybe the third thing to go after you start feeling that numbness in your hands and feet.

We always have more on the go but this combination of our most loved, most innovated and latest accessory developments is really why we love what we do and how we do it. Nothing is made without testing - it gives us an excuse to go out and test it obviously - you have no idea how often we get asked if we need something tested but we don't have any samples because one of us (Steve) is already out testing it, Kate (our product designer) has to put new kit under lock and key until it's ready for testing. Let us know your thoughts and give us your feedback because we can't ever stop developing.