Connections for Vessels Without an Existing Kill Switch

Most vessels have an existing kill switch that you can leverage to install the Garmin OnBoard™ engine cutoff system so it can perform the necessary action to kill the engine or engines when needed. If your vessel does not have an existing kill switch, you must instead connect the wiring harness to an engine ignition wire or wires to perform this action.

NOTICE
Incorrectly installing the Garmin OnBoard engine cutoff system when connecting to the engine ignition may not allow the system to properly cut off the engines when needed. You must test the installation prior to using the vessel.
When installing the Garmin OnBoard engine cutoff system in a vessel without an existing kill switch, follow the same instructions for connecting to an existing kill switch, while observing these considerations.
  • You must consult the documentation for your engine to accurately identify the ignition wire or wires.

  • Similar to kill-switch wiring, you must determine whether the engine uses a close-to-stop or open-to-stop method to stop the engines through the ignition wire.

  • If you have multiple engines, they may all use one combined ignition wire, or they may each use a separate ignition wire.

If your vessel has multiple engines and multiple ignition wires, in addition to the previous considerations you should also observe these considerations.
  • You can connect up to four engines that use a close-to-stop method. See the table below to identify each close-to-stop wire when connecting to multiple engines.

  • You can connect up to two engines that use an open-to-stop method. See the table below to identify each open-to-stop wire pairing when connecting to multiple engines.

  • If your vessel has more than four close-to-stop engines or more than two open-to-stop engines that each use a dedicated ignition wire, then you must consult the vessel or engine manufacturer for assistance. Many manufacturers have a module or a method for combining these signals that is required when installing the Garmin OnBoard engine cutoff system.

Close-to-Stop Ignition Wires From the GOS™ 10 Hub

Wire Function

Wire Color

Engine 1

White

Engine 2

Yellow

Engine 3

Green

Engine 4

Purple

Open-to-Stop Ignition Wires From the GOS 10 Hub

Wire Function

Wire Color

Engine 1: Open to stop in

Orange

Engine 1: Open to stop out

Pink

Engine 2: Open to stop in

Blue

Engine 2: Open to stop out

Brown

GUID-7D06FCCD-97F4-4DD5-9900-79121558C4B8 v2
December 2025