A system for rotating a propeller shaft within a gearcase via a driveshaft. A stub shaft is rotatable within the gearcase. A forward gear is rotatably coupled to the stub shaft. The forward gear is rotatable by the driveshaft and is engageable to become rotatably fixed to the stub shaft such that rotating the driveshaft rotates the stub shaft. A shock absorbing coupler is positioned within the gearcase. The shock absorbing coupler couples the stub shaft to the propeller shaft and is torsional such that shock is absorbable between the propeller shaft and the driveshaft.

A system for rotating a propeller shaft within a gearcase via a driveshaft. A stub shaft is rotatable within the gearcase. A forward gear is rotatably coupled to the stub shaft. The forward gear is rotatable by the driveshaft and is engageable to become rotatably fixed to the stub shaft such that rotating the driveshaft rotates the stub shaft. A shock absorbing coupler is positioned within the gearcase. The shock absorbing coupler couples the stub shaft to the propeller shaft and is torsional such that shock is absorbable between the propeller shaft and the driveshaft.

A first method of protecting an engine and a transmission of a marine vessel during gear shifts and a second method of programming one or more Shift Protection Sequences (SPS) are disclosed. The first method includes receiving a Shift Request (SR) and activating a SPS from among a plurality of enabled SPS. The second method includes configuring a Shift Protection Type (SPT); enabling and configuring a plurality of required and SPS variables; and, optionally, enabling and configuring a plurality of optional SPS variables. The SPT may be a Basic Shift Protection (BSP), which includes time-based SPS; or the SPT may be an Advanced Shift Protection (ASP), which includes alternate time-based and operating-variable based SPS. The SPS of the ASP may be incrementally programmed and added to the BSP.

A first method of protecting an engine and a transmission of a marine vessel during gear shifts and a second method of programming one or more Shift Protection Sequences (SPS) are disclosed. The first method includes receiving a Shift Request (SR) and activating a SPS from among a plurality of enabled SPS. The second method includes configuring a Shift Protection Type (SPT); enabling and configuring a plurality of required and SPS variables; and, optionally, enabling and configuring a plurality of optional SPS variables. The SPT may be a Basic Shift Protection (BSP), which includes time-based SPS; or the SPT may be an Advanced Shift Protection (ASP), which includes alternate time-based and operating-variable based SPS. The SPS of the ASP may be incrementally programmed and added to the BSP.

A first method of protecting an engine and a transmission of a marine vessel during gear shifts and a second method of programming one or more Shift Protection Sequences (SPS) are disclosed. The first method includes receiving a Shift Request (SR) and activating a SPS from among a plurality of enabled SPS. The second method includes configuring a Shift Protection Type (SPT); enabling and configuring a plurality of required and SPS variables; and, optionally, enabling and configuring a plurality of optional SPS variables. The SPT may be a Basic Shift Protection (BSP), which includes time-based SPS; or the SPT may be an Advanced Shift Protection (ASP), which includes alternate time-based and operating-variable based SPS. The SPS of the ASP may be incrementally programmed and added to the BSP.

A first method of protecting an engine and a transmission of a marine vessel during gear shifts and a second method of programming one or more Shift Protection Sequences (SPS) are disclosed. The first method includes receiving a Shift Request (SR) and activating a SPS from among a plurality of enabled SPS. The second method includes configuring a Shift Protection Type (SPT); enabling and configuring a plurality of required and SPS variables; and, optionally, enabling and configuring a plurality of optional SPS variables. The SPT may be a Basic Shift Protection (BSP), which includes time-based SPS; or the SPT may be an Advanced Shift Protection (ASP), which includes alternate time-based and operating-variable based SPS. The SPS of the ASP may be incrementally programmed and added to the BSP.

A marine propulsion system includes at least two parallel propulsion devices that each generate forward and reverse thrusts, wherein the parallel propulsion devices are oriented such that their thrusts are parallel to one another, and at least one drive position sensor configured to sense a drive angle of the parallel propulsion devices. A lateral thruster is configured to generate starboard and port thrust to propel the marine vessel. A user input device is operable by a user to provide at least a lateral thrust command to command lateral movement of the marine vessel and a rotational thrust command to command rotational movement of the marine vessel. A controller is configured to control the parallel propulsion devices and the lateral thruster based on the lateral steering input and/or the rotational steering input and the drive angle so as to provide the lateral movement and/or the rotational movement.

An outboard motor includes a drive shaft cover to cover a drive shaft extending downwardly from an engine, a lower unit turnable with respect to the drive shaft cover, and a harness. A lower housing of the lower unit houses a lower portion of the drive shaft and an electrical component. The harness is connected to the electrical component through an upper space provided in the drive shaft cover and through a lower space that communicates with the upper space from below in the lower housing.

An outboard motor includes a case having a gear chamber, a drive shaft arrangement hole, and a propeller shaft arrangement hole, a drive shaft, a propeller shaft, a drive gear, a driven gear, a gear position setting member provided in front of the driven gear in the case and configured to set a position of the driven gear in a front-rear direction, and a screw mechanism configured to move the gear position setting member in the front-rear direction when the gear position setting member is rotated about an axis of the gear position setting member. The screw mechanism includes a first screw provided in the case and a second screw provided on the gear position setting member and configured to be screwed with the first screw.

An outboard motor includes an outer propeller shaft extending in a front-rear direction, an inner propeller shaft extending in the front-rear direction and disposed at an inner peripheral side of the outer propeller shaft, a rear driven gear disposed at a rear side of a drive gear, a front driven gear disposed at a front side of the drive gear, and a case covering front portions of the outer propeller shaft and the inner propeller shaft, the drive gear, the rear driven gear, and the front driven gear. A first bearing rotatably supporting the outer propeller shaft on the case and configured to receive an axial load acting on the outer propeller shaft in a front direction is provided at an outer peripheral side of the front portion of the outer propeller shaft.