Wireless Engine Cut-Off Switches Evolve Into Man-Overboard Alarm Systems

A 2021 federal law mandating proper use of engine cut-off switches has led to a boom in wireless alternatives to the safety lanyard. Sailors beware of the caveats in man-overboard protection.

By
Doug Henschen
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Six systems now go well beyond the traditional kill-switch lanyard—the latest, including Garmin's OnBoard (center), pair a hard-wired hub with wearable fobs and chartplotter or app integration to log MOB positions and guide crew back to the person in the water. (Images/ Propeller Guard, Fell Marine, 1st Mate, ACR Electronics, Garmin)

Even sailing greenhorns are familiar with those red coiled lanyards that are, theoretically, attached from an engine’s cut-off switch (ECOS) to the operator’s life jacket (or, more likely, belt loop).

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Doug Henschen
Doug Henschen has been sailing in and around the waters of the lower Hudson River, New York Harbor, and the Long Island Sound since the 1980s. A career editor and journalist, Doug served as associate editor and managing editor of The Waterway Guide from 1984 until 1987 and as executive editor of Boating Industry magazine from 1990 to 1996. Doug is a member of Sail America and is American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) certified on Marine Systems, Marine Electrical, Corrosion Mitigation, Disaster Avoidance, Outboard Repowering Considerations, and Boatyard Basics.

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