The Sea Tow Foundation™ is showcasing the winners of the 2024 National Boating Safety Awards via individualized blog posts that answer specific questions posted to each winning company.

Garmin won the 2024 National Boating Safety Award in the category of Top Marine Gear & Equipment Manufacturer.

Photo used with permission from Garmin.

     1. Please briefly describe your winning entry and tell us about the process of creating/launching it.

Garmin received a 2024 National Boating Safety Award from the Sea Tow Foundation for its work done to help educate customers and the public about the importance of having the right tools, equipment and knowledge to stay safe on the water. We strive to prioritize safe boating content year-round and typically begin mapping out what the content will be and when it will go out at the start of each year.

     2. What inspired your company to promote boating safety?

At Garmin, our mission is to create products that are an essential part of our customers’ lives, and we know many of our customers spend time on the water boating and fishing. Having innovative, quality and easy-to-use electronics can make the difference between a good and bad day on the water – and we take great pride in creating products that can help our customers safely make the most of their time on the water. 

     3. What was a key takeaway you received because of working on this project or campaign?

Based on our annual inReach SOS data*, we know that boating continues to be one of the top five activities people are doing when they trigger an inReach SOS. This reaffirms why it’s so important to get out the message of safe boating – hopefully seeing our safety-related content will help customers think twice about making sure they’re prepared before they leave the dock.

*This was true for 2023, but 2024 data has not yet been made available publicly.

     4. What does winning this award mean for your company? If your company has won more than once, does that change anything?

We are honored to receive a National Boating Safety Award for the fourth year in a row. This award is a testament to Garmin’s commitment to creating products that can support safe and responsible boating practices for our customers. We look forward to continuing to provide products and resources to foster a stronger, smarter community of boaters, anglers and sailors alike, and we thank the Sea Tow Foundation for this recognition.

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