A method and a system for controlling a propulsive power output applied to a propeller shaft of a ship. If a current value of a propulsive power of a propulsive power source equals or falls below a lower power limit value, and/or if a current value of an operational parameter reaches a first/lower parameter limit value, a control unit is configured to: increase a power output of an internal combustion engine of the propulsive power source. Thus, operation of the engine below a lower power limit is avoided.

There are described herein methods and systems for operating an electric motor of a watercraft. In one method, the electric motor of the watercraft is controlled based on commands received from an accelerator of the watercraft, a sensor signal is received from at least one sensor of the watercraft while the electric motor is in operation, the sensor signal indicative of an undesirable condition of a water intake of the watercraft, and a change is effected to the controlling of the electric motor in response to receiving the sensor signal.

An operation apparatus configured to operate a ship propulsion machine includes: a remote control device including a holder and an operation lever swingably supported, and configured to perform a shift switching operation of the ship propulsion machine and an operation of increasing/decreasing a rotation speed of a power source of the ship propulsion machine; a gauge device including a display device and configured to display information regarding the ship propulsion machine including information indicating a shift position of the ship propulsion machine and the rotation speed of the power source; and a case to which the remote control device and the gauge device are each attached, and which integrates the remote control device and the gauge device. In the case, the remote control device and the gauge device are disposed adjacently to each other in a front-rear direction of the ship.

A system, method, and device for interrupting power to an engine ignition coil in a marine engine during an actuation of a shift cable for transitioning between gears is provided. The method includes connecting a sensor assembly to the shift cable. The sensor assembly includes magnets, a Hall sensor for magnetic sensing, and a control circuit. The magnets are configured to pass by the Hall sensor, which senses a change in polarity of the magnets. The control circuit is configured to interrupt power to the engine ignition coil. The method includes sensing a polarity of the magnets; determining if the polarity of the magnets has changed; and sending a signal to the control circuit based on the change in polarity of the magnets, which causes an output interrupting power to the engine ignition coil.

A shift mechanism configuring an outboard motor comprises: an electric actuator that linearly moves a movable rod; and a shift shaft portion that switches from neutral to forward or reverse based on displacement of said movable rod. Moreover, a neutral adjusting mechanism enabling a neutral position of the shift mechanism to be adjusted is provided facing the shift shaft portion, by a separate body. The neutral adjusting mechanism, which comprises first and second adjusting arms that are supported in a freely rotating manner with respect to a frame and that have been biased in contrary directions to each other by elastic springing force of a coil spring, is provided in a manner that an adjusting screw mounted in the first adjusting arm capable of abutting on a shift arm always abuts on a contacting wall of the second adjusting arm capable of contacting a switch sensor.

A marine vessel maneuvering system includes a marine propulsion unit including an electric motor, an input to input a neutral command to stop the electric motor and to input a drive command to drive the electric motor, a start switch to switch a stopped state in which the electric motor is not driven to a ready-to-be-driven state in which the electric motor is ready to be driven, and a controller configured or programmed to perform a control to switch the stopped state to the ready-to-be-driven state upon a user operating the start switch when a main power supply that controls a power supply to an on-board device of a hull is in an on state, the neutral command is being input to the input, and a marine vessel is in the stopped state.

A ship speed control system includes: a ship speed deviation calculation module which calculates a ship speed deviation based on the difference between an actual ship speed and a ship speed target value; and an input gain adjustment module which adjusts a gain input to a throttle control function to a first gain value when the ship speed deviation is not less than a first threshold value, and adjusts the input gain to a second gain value which is larger than the first gain value and smaller than the initial gain value when the ship speed deviation is not less than the first threshold value and not less than the second threshold value.

A small planing watercraft includes: a travel electrical component driven for travel of the small planing watercraft; an accessory electrical component provided separately from the travel electrical component; a battery supplying power to the travel electrical component and the accessory electrical component; a sensor detecting a physical quantity corresponding to a level of the battery; and processing circuitry determining, based on a result of detection of the sensor, whether the level of the battery is a predetermined power saving level, and controlling, when it is determined that the level of the battery is the power saving level, operation of the accessory electrical component so that power consumed by the accessory electrical component is less than that before determination.

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.

Constant-speed-travel-apparatus controlling prime-mover so that mobile-body mounted with the prime-mover travels at constant-speed, includes: function-operation-member being instructed activation of speed-maintaining-function of the mobile-body in response to operation by operator; first-speed-operation-member being instructed the travel-speed of the mobile-body in accordance with operation-amount by the operator; second-speed-operation-member being instructed change of the travel-speed by predetermined amount in response to operation by the operator in state where activation of the speed-maintaining-function has been instructed through the function-operation-member; and electronic-control-unit controlling output of the prime-mover based on the operation-amount of the first-speed-operation-member and number of times of operation of the second-speed-operation-member so that the mobile-body travels at constant-speed in the state. The electronic-control-unit deactivates the speed-maintaining-function and controls the output of the prime-mover based on the travel-speed instructed through the first-speed-operation-member when the operation-amount of the first-speed-operation-member exceeds predetermined operation-amount in the state.