An outboard motor includes an outboard motor body, a mount mounted on a boat body, and a support member that supports the outboard motor body so as to be steerable with respect to the mount. The support member includes an upper support that surrounds a drive shaft and supports the outboard motor body, a lower support that is spaced below the upper support, surrounds the drive shaft, and supports the outboard motor body, and a coupler that couples the upper support to the lower support.

A method is provided for controlling a boat. The boat is adapted to float in a body of water. The boat includes a hull having a longitudinal extension along a hull longitudinal axis, a lateral extension along a hull lateral axis and a vertical extension along a hull vertical axis. The boat also includes a set of drive units, the set of drive units comprising at least one drive unit. Each drive unit in the set is arranged such that it, during driving of the boat, is adapted to be at least partially submerged into the body of water; adapted to be pivotable, relative to the hull, around a drive unit longitudinal axis that is substantially parallel to the hull longitudinal axis such that a drive unit roll angle can be varied, and adapted to be pivotable, relative to the hull, around a steering axis that forms an angle with the drive unit longitudinal, axis such that a drive unit steering angle can be varied.

A controller carries out a method for positioning multiple trimmable marine propulsion devices on a marine vessel transom. The method includes identifying two propulsion devices located one on either side of a transom centerline and defining these as outer propulsion devices. A third propulsion device coupled to the transom between the outer propulsion devices is defined as an inner propulsion device. A user input is received to trim the outer and inner propulsion devices in a single direction with respect to their current trim angles. In response to the user input, the controller outputs a control signal. In response to the control signal, the outer propulsion devices are trimmed in the single direction to a first trim angle and the inner propulsion device is trimmed in the single direction to a second, different trim angle. The controller may rate limit trimming of the outer propulsion devices to accomplish this.

A steering control device for a marine vessel that cancels an automatic steering mode by a rotation operation of a steering wheel includes a controller to perform a control to shift to the automatic steering mode when acquiring a start instruction in a normal steering mode, and to shift to the normal steering mode when a rotation angle position of the steering wheel changes beyond a threshold angle in the automatic steering mode. However, in the normal steering mode, the controller does not shift to the automatic steering mode even when acquiring the start instruction when a difference between an acquired rotation angle position of the steering wheel and a first angle position is smaller than a first predetermined amount, or when a difference between the acquired rotation angle position and a second angle position is smaller than a second predetermined amount.

A steering control device for a marine vessel including a propulsion device to propel a hull, a steering wheel having a limited rotatable angle, and a turning driver to change a turning angle of the propulsion device, includes a controller configured or programmed to determine, based on an acquired rotation angle position of the steering wheel, whether the steering wheel is stopped, and to control, during a control to shift the steering mode from an automatic steering mode to a normal steering mode, the turning driver to reduce a deviation between a turning angle corresponding to the acquired rotation angle position of the steering wheel and an acquired actual turning angle of the propulsion device if the steering wheel is stopped.

A marine vessel steering device includes a hub to rotate with a helm shaft and to which a steering wheel is attached, and a stopper attached to a pedestal that does not rotate around an axis of the helm shaft and faces the hub. The hub includes a protrusion that is integral with the hub, and the stopper includes a regulator that is integral with the stopper. When the helm shaft rotates around the axis, a rotation angle of the steering wheel is limited because the protrusion of the hub abuts against the regulator of the stopper.

A ship steering control device for controlling steering of a ship. The ship includes a ship propulsion device configured to generate a propulsion force of the ship and a manual operation unit for manually operating the ship propulsion device. The ship steering control device includes a manual steering controller, an automatic steering controller, an abnormality detection unit, and a steering mode switching unit. The manual steering controller is configured to control. The steering mode switching unit includes an automatic steering cancellation unit, a propulsion force gradual reduction controller, an operation position determination unit, and a manual steering start unit.

An embodiment of a system for controlling a marine vessel includes an electrical power steering unit coupled to a mechanical control system, the mechanical control system including a steering wheel connected by a shaft to a mechanical cable assembly, the mechanical cable assembly configured to be actuated by the steering wheel to control a steering mechanism of the marine vessel. The electrical power steering unit includes an electric motor configured to apply a torque to the mechanical cable assembly. The system also includes a processor configured to control the electrical power steering unit to provide at least one of steering assist and control of the marine vessel.

A member (10) for controlling the direction of a vehicle, preferably in the form of a steering wheel for controlling the direction of a nautical vehicle, or boat, and includes a rotatable body (11), which can be manually operated by the skipper of the vehicle for controlling the direction of the vehicle and which is operatively connectable to unit defining, or determining, the direction of travel of the vehicle. The member includes a unit, or hub, (12) supporting the rotatable body, which include a component (14) fixed to the structure of the vehicle which rotatably support respective units (16) for supporting, or coupling, the rotatable body which can be operated manually, the unit fixed to the structure of the vehicle supporting corresponding unit (18) which can be used, in particular which can be operated and/or viewed, by the skipper, which remain fixed during the rotation of the rotatable body.

A vessel operation system includes a propulsion apparatus mountable on a hull of a vessel and that includes a prime mover, a steering to change a steering angle of a thrust generated by the propulsion apparatus with respect to the hull, a speed sensor to detect a speed corresponding to a traveling speed of the vessel or a rotational speed of the prime mover, and a controller configured or programmed to control the steering so as to change a maximum value of the steering angle in accordance with a speed data based on the speed detected by the speed sensor.