New from Garmin: OnBoard wireless MOB & engine cutoff system
Wireless Man Overboard detection and engine cutoff system integrates with Garmin chartplotters to give boaters added peace of mind
OLATHE, Kan./Oct. 16, 2025 — Garmin (NYSE: GRMN), the world’s largest1 and most innovative marine electronics manufacturer, today announced Garmin OnBoard, a versatile Man Overboard (MOB) and engine cutoff solution for boaters that uses wireless technology instead of traditional tethered cords.
Tags can be worn on a wrist band, carabiner or key ring float, and designated as either captain or passenger. If an MOB is detected, the system will save a waypoint on the chartplotter, and audible alarms will sound. Should the captain fall overboard, the system will also automatically trigger engine cutoff. Captains can also disable the engine via a button-press on the tag if needed. With up to 8 MOB tags, mariners can tag what matters most – adults, children, pets and objects – all at the same time.
“Wearing an MOB tag that can activate an engine kill switch on a boat can potentially save lives. As part of our commitment to making boating safer and more enjoyable for everyone, we designed Garmin OnBoard with safety and convenience in mind using wireless, non-intrusive tags that will bring the boat to a stop and alert those on board if an MOB event is detected.” –Susan Lyman, Garmin Vice President of Consumer Sales and Marketing
Peace of mind on the water
- Setup, pair and manage MOB tags from compatible Garmin ECHOMAP™ and GPSMAP® chartplotters.
- Wireless MOB tags allow users to move freely around the boat without the need for a physical tether.
- Chartplotter integration provides automatic MOB waypoint recording at the time of MOB detection, along with audible alarms from the chartplotter.
- Easily disable tags temporarily to allow for hassle-free swimming and excursions.
- MOB tag battery life can exceed a single season of typical operation.
- Garmin OnBoard is compatible with any boat that has an engine cutoff switch and a compatible Garmin chartplotter.
- Complies with U.S. federal laws requiring the installation and use of an Engine Cutoff Link.
The Garmin OnBoard System will be available this month for a suggested retail price of $499.99. Additional MOB tags are available for $149.99. Installation of the Garmin OnBoard System by a qualified marine installer is recommended. To learn more, visit garmin.com/marine.
1Based on 2024 sales.
This device has not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. This device is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained.
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Sounds interesting. Will it work with Furuno TZT3?
Hi Jonas, I think that Garmin is clear that a “a compatible Garmin chartplotter” is needed to set up the OnBoard MoB tags and the screenshots also show how the plotter can nicely display tag activity. But it will be interesting to see the system details when the manuals are published and the devices are in the field. It is possible, for instance, that Garmin used standard NMEA 2000 MoB messages for the integration, and therefore other display manufacturers could do similar. But that is very speculative, and optimistic, on my part!
Is there any provision to work with inboard diesels? Currently have cut off switches wired in the fire suppression system.
Orin, I don’t know if Garmin will explicitly support diesel engine cut off, but I believe it’s possible with similar systems like the Fell Marine MOB+. Their Support pages detail shut off installs for all sorts of outboards and at least mention diesel fuel pump shutoff as a possibility given professional installation:
https://supportcenter.fellmarine.com/hc/en-us/articles/24900304764701-Diesel-engine-installation
https://buy.fellmarine.com/
Garmin OnBoard looks clearly aimed at outboard boats already equipped with Garmin electronics, and I imagine it will work well in that environment assuming that they got the wireless connection really solid, as false alarms are the bane of MoB systems like this. But it may also be useful on sailboats and power cruisers, with tags also on pets, towed dinghies, highly valued teddy bears, etc. 😉
In the latter scenarios, the engine cut off relay might be ignored or used to trigger an loud alarm. But also note that this kind of MoB device can only capture the position where the tag connection was lost, while AIS PLB devices can track the actual location of the person overboard on the screen of his or her home vessel, nearby vessels and international SAR organizations:
https://panbo.com/acr-and-ocean-signal-add-ais-to-personal-locator-beacons-with-cherries-on-top/
A similar system has been around for a while now, from Fellmarine. They make a simple, retrofittable, system and one that is a little more sophisticated and used by Mercury. https://www.fellmarine.com
Brunswick’s “more sophisticated” 1st Mate system, with hardware developed by Fell, came with the promise of software updates and “N2K functionality coming soon!”, and then years of excuses about why there wasn’t an update and why N2K functions weren’t available yet. I bought the single engine “all other brands” 1st Mate at release for nearly $600. It Finally they admitted none of it was ever coming. Stings a bit more that they’re now about half what I paid for mine.
I’ll be looking into OnBoard in the spring.
Similar may have happened with Brunswick’s Fathom e-Power Systems. To my knowledge the offboat monitoring module was announced way before it was acrtually available, and may not be yet. Hard to find specifics here, though I guess it is exclusive to boatbuilders anyway.
https://fathom.navico.com/
Garmin has published the install and owners manuals
https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?partNumber=010-02908-00&tab=manuals
I don’t see any mention of being able to use one of their smart watches as a FOB. That would be a great +1 for a lot of people, and given they already have BLE, I can’t imagine it would be a huge effort.
Good point, Mark, especially as Garmin likes to leverage its wide product portfolio. But they are often fussy about safety stuff and maybe the watch BLE doesn’t work as well as the dedicated fobs?
Thanks too for the (fresh) manuals link, though I was hoping to see the list of NMEA 2000 PGNs being used, which I believe is an NMEA Certification requirement (although using proprietary PGNs is allowed).