Smart Man Over Board (MOB) – Tech age innovations to keep you safe

Apr 25, 2017

According to the US Coast Guard, there were over 4,000 boating accidents in the US with 600 untimely deaths in 2014. Fugawi hopes three new product offerings can help reduce these tragic statistics in 2017.

The stylish, smart wristband designed by a French start-up Sea-Tags addresses situations where a family is sailing or cruising, or a group of friends have gone fishing on a boat.

There are two components to the Sea-Tags MOB alarm system to ensure passenger safety. A free app downloaded to all smartphone on board to monitor everyone wearing the wristband, and a wristband worn by captain and crew. The moment someone goes overboard and the wristband is submerged, the smartphones on board will sound an alarm while saving the time and GPS location of the incident. The app can even be enabled to send an automatic text message to someone who in turn could inform the emergency services while providing them with the time and last known GPS location.

The Sea-Tags smart wristbands cost US $79 each. The free app is available on both iTunes and Google Play stores.

Fell Marine’s MOB+ (Man OverBoard Plus) wireless kill switch was introduced by the Norwegian company in 2016. The MOB+ is an electronically controlled, wireless kill switch that can be used on all boats, giving the user not only all the benefits of technology but untethered freedom of movement around the boat. The MOB+ wirelessly stops the boat engine if the wearer of the FOB falls overboard, making it an ideal accessory for solo sailors and fishermen, night time boaters and generally boats 40 feet or less.

Fell Marine employs the proprietary WiMEA Protocol with lightning-fast reaction time, 4D Antenna Diversity, AutoMOB, state-of-the-art electronics and UniqueID technology to stop the boat without interfering with existing systems onboard.

Fell Marine’s ready-to-use MOB+ complete with the base unit and a FOB is retailed for US $199.

The McMurdo Smartfind S20 AIS MOB is designed for sailing teams, yachts, commercial boats and cruisers with AIS aboard. The S20 turns the MOB person into an AIS target transmitting the position and a serialized identity number back to the vessel’s onboard plotter enabling the distressed individual to be quickly located and recovered.

The McMurdo S20 is designed to be fitted to a lifejacket and ready to activate and transmit continuously for at least 24 hours in the event of a man overboard situation. The S20 AIS MOB comes with a seven-year battery life and features a flashing LED indicator light for nighttime recovery. An optional deployment allows the S20 to be automatically activated when compatible life jackets are inflated.

The McMurdo S20 AIS MOB is listed at US $299.

Sea-Tags and Fell Marine have crafted their products to ensure boaters enjoy wearing the hi-tech safety wristbands and FOBs without compromising their own lifestyle, look and comfort. All these companies have employed the highest quality materials that withstand salt, cold and the sun to make these devices durable in the harsh of marine environments.

All the safety products featured here as well many other hi-tech charts, hardware and software products from the likes of Navionics, Actisense, Digital Yacht and LCJ Capteurs can be viewed and purchased from https://www.fugawi.com/.

Fugawi was founded in 1995 in Toronto and distributes software services, connectivity solutions and hi-tech marine products from leading manufacturers. Johnson Outdoors Canada Inc. purchased the assets of Fugawi in 2016.