There is described a watercraft comprising a housing having a hull and a deck, the hull shaped to cause the watercraft to operate in a displacement state and a planing state, a powerplant in the housing, and a propulsion device drivingly engaged to the powerplant to generate a propulsive force to propel the watercraft. A controller is configured for monitoring an operational parameter of the watercraft, the watercraft having a range-efficient operating regime following a transition of the watercraft from the displacement state to the planing state, the operational parameter having an optimal state for the range-efficient operating regime. A user interface is coupled to the controller and configured for providing a visual indication of a status of the watercraft in relation to the range-efficient operating regime.

Methods and systems for operating powersport vehicles during an operator-vehicle separation condition are provided. One method includes detecting the operator-vehicle separation condition using a first tetherless criterion and a second tetherless criterion. In response to detecting the operator-vehicle separation condition using both the first tetherless criterion and the second tetherless criterion, the method includes preventing propulsion of the powersport vehicle.

A calibration method for at least one propulsion unit of a marine vessel, the at least one propulsion unit being arranged to provide a propulsive force to the vessel, the at least one propulsion unit being adjustable so as to change a respective steering angle of the at least one propulsion unit in relation to a hull of the vessel. The method includes controlling the at least one propulsion unit so as to provide at least one acceleration sequence, wherein the vessel is accelerated stepwise or continuously in each acceleration sequence, adjusting, continuously or repeatedly, during the acceleration sequence, the steering angle of the at least one propulsion unit, to keep the path of the vessel straight during the acceleration sequence, registering, during the acceleration sequence, a plurality of values of the respective steering angle of the at least one propulsion unit, and determining, based at least partly on the registered steering angle values, a respective reference steering angle of the at least one propulsion unit, which reference steering angle minimizes a deviation of an actual course over ground of the vessel from a desired course over ground of the vessel.

A marine drive unit for a boat includes a cooling compartment arranged in a drive unit body. The cooling compartment forms part of a closed cooling circuit, where the cooling circuit is arranged to cool propulsion components of the boat, where the cooling compartment comprises an inlet opening, an inlet channel, a lower end, an outlet channel and an outlet opening, where the inlet channel forms a first flow path for a cooling fluid from the inlet opening to the lower end of the cooling compartment. The outlet channel forms a second flow path for the cooling fluid from the lower end of the cooling compartment to the outlet opening, thereby allowing heat from the cooling fluid to dissipate through the outer wall of the drive unit.

A marine propulsion system, comprising a drive shaft secured to a propeller to rotationally drive the propeller; a motor selectively coupled to the drive shaft to rotate the drive shaft; an electrical energy storage unit coupled to the motor to supply an on-board electrical power supply to the motor, the electrical energy storage unit configured to be recharged by an on-shore electrical power supply; an engine selectively coupled to the drive shaft to rotate the drive shall, the engine not coupled to the electrical energy storage unit for use as a generator to recharge the electrical energy storage unit; and a control system coupled to the motor and to the engine for selecting one of the motor and the engine to rotate the drive shaft. A hybrid marine propulsion method, comprising rotationally driving a drive shaft and propeller using an engine; shifting the engine into neutral; turning on an electric motor by manually activating a motor toggle; disengaging the engine from rotational driving engagement with the drive shaft and engaging the electric motor in rotational driving engagement with the drive shaft; and turning on a fluid sub-system to supply fluid to the drive shaft by manually activating a fluid sub-system toggle.

A self-propelling watercraft system is provided. The watercraft has a base with a plurality of sidewalls extending from the base to form a cockpit. The base also has a recess, where a pump can detachably connect to the hull within the recess. The pump has an intake valve on a first end and a nozzle on a second end that is opposite the first end. The intake valve can intake water. The nozzle can jettison water received in the pump from the intake valve and agitate water surrounding the nozzle.

A control device of a marine vessel includes a wireless master unit to wirelessly communicate with a wireless slave unit possessed or worn by a vessel operator, and a processor configured or programmed to function as a detecting unit to detect that an engaging portion of a lanyard connectable to a connecting portion provided on a hull of the marine vessel is detached from the connecting portion, an obtaining unit to obtain a physical quantity that indicates at least one of a rotation speed of a drive source that propels the hull and a vessel speed, a judging unit to judge a state of wireless communication between the wireless master unit and the wireless slave unit, and a control unit to control the drive source based on a detection result obtained by the detecting unit, the physical quantity obtained by the obtaining unit, and a judgment result obtained by the judging unit.

A method for using a system including a plurality of first fields and a plurality of second fields fixed to a first device and presenting a first physical characteristic and a second physical characteristic, respectively, the first and second fields being arranged in an alternating manner. First and second sensors are fixed to the second device and arranged to move along the array of fields when the second device moves in relation to the first device. The method includes detecting, by the first sensor and during a movement of the second device in relation to the first device, a transition from the first to the second physical characteristic, or vice versa, simultaneously detecting, by the second sensor, the first or the second physical characteristic, and determining, based on the detected transition and physical characteristic, the direction of movement of the second device in relation to the first device.

Various examples of a high-speed omnidirectional fully-actuated underwater propulsion mechanism are described. In one example, a propulsion system includes two decoupled counter-rotating rotors centered on a main axis, with each rotor comprising a plurality of pivotable blades projecting radially from the main axis, a servo-swashplate actuation mechanism comprising a plurality of servos and a linkage assembly connected from the servos to the pivotable blades, a blade-axis re-enforcing flap adapter comprising a plurality of stationary flaps, with the blade-axis re-enforcing flap adapter being positioned in a region between the two decoupled counter-rotating rotors centered on the main axis, and a controller. The controller can be configured to calculate control parameters, compensate a first control parameter among the control parameters to reduce cross-coupling of an unwanted force generated by drag forces on the two decoupled counter-rotating rotors, and generate a control signal for each of the servos based on the control parameters.

A marine propulsion control system for use with a marine vessel, includes a port side engine in electronic communication with a port side engine controller and a starboard side engine in electronic communication with a starboard side engine controller. A control station includes a port lever configured to control a throttle of the port side engine, a starboard lever configured to control a throttle of the starboard side engine, and a user interface. A propulsion control processor is in electronic communication with the port side engine controller, the starboard side engine controller, and control station. In a synchronized operating mode, the propulsion control processor transmits a throttle instruction to the port side engine controller and the starboard side engine controller pursuant to a throttle position of a master lever corresponding to the first of the port lever and starboard lever to be actuated upon activation of the synchronized operating mode.