Trimaco E-Z Floor Guards: IBEX Innovation Award Winner

Affectionately tagged as shoe condoms, Trimaco E-Z Floor Guards won the award for Boatyard Hardware/Software & Dealer Equipment, but the 5 judges all agreed we would classify this product as a winner in whatever category we could find to assure this "sole-searching" solution a number one position. Of all 88 Innovation Award products, this was the most talked about, joked over, and all-round appreciated. Bottom line is that this "duh!" product offers an easy to apply covering for your shoes to protect a yacht’s flooring or deck.

Firstly let me say that I am not a believer in going barefoot on boats. Have broken toes on winches, cleats, wet decks, varnished stairs, and other klutzified moments related to being barefoot. I also have the philosophy that if your boat can’t take your shoes, how is it going to take the sea, but notwithstanding my personal idiosyncrasies, the shoe booties, scrub shoes, and socklets required for most yacht boardings are a ridiculous attempt at proving maneuverability, flexibility, balance, and coordination for removing your shoes (especially those with laces, and if holding a purse or phone or any other manual accoutrements ).

E-Z Floor Guards: a product with sole (lots of pun opportunities with this product) is an easy 3-step process (see what I mean?) for covering your shoes - regardless of shoe or size. I called it the SaranWrap for shoes or shoe-Cling. There’s a larger than shoe-size box with a roll of recyclable plastic wrap and you step into the box one foot at a time, withdraw your foot backwards, and left and tear. Repeat with other foot. It takes about 5 seconds total with a “look, Ma, no hands” attitude. I wore one layer application for hours throughout the exhibit hall with 100% perfect success - no tearing, shredding, or breaches. The only negative was I poured water on the tile floor in the bathroom to check for slipperiness and it was. Two of the judges wore their covering for the entire day and their complaint was that it pulled off in pieces from the waffle soles of their tennis shoes after about 3 miles/8 hours of use but the designer said all they needed to do was to have put on another layer and it would have pulled off together.

The practical application is for workers aboard a yacht to apply the covering before boarding and thus protecting the boat’s deck and/or interior. If it’s raining, apply before boarding and then step into another box for a dry coat on top of the wet at the yacht entry. Or if a mechanic puts on his sole protection, hits the engine room, and then realizes he needs another tool in his truck or shed, he can keep on the initial covering, walk the dirty tarmac, and then just step in again to apply an additional clean coat before re-entry. Another fantastic application (ha-ha) is for boat shows. I can see every boat at a boat show having one of these at their boarding ladder - beats the line-up of shoes on the dock, the bulky baskets, or the never easy/never right size booties.

E-Z Floor Guards: A Step in the right direction! I believe it in and I’m putting my foot down!

https://www.dropbox.com/lightbox/home/2014 IBEX Innovation Awards/Trimaco LLC- E-Z Floor Guards

Judy Waldman