Patent ID: 8831802

Claim:
A boat propelling system for propelling a hull, the boat propelling system comprising: a propelling system main body; a bracket section arranged to allow the propelling system main body to pivot in a right-left direction with respect to the hull; an actuator arranged to pivot the propelling system main body in the right-left direction; a steering section arranged to steer the propelling system main body; an operation information detection section arranged to detect operation information regarding an amount of operation provided to the steering section; an actual pivot angle detection section arranged to detect an actual pivot angle of the propelling system main body; a first calculating section arranged to calculate a target pivot angle change amount based on a target pivot angle of the propelling system main body derived from the operation information and based on a baseline target pivot angle, the baseline target pivot angle being updatable; a second calculating section arranged to calculate an actual pivot angle change amount based on the actual pivot angle and a baseline actual pivot angle, the baseline actual pivot angle being updatable; a gap amount obtaining section arranged to obtain a gap amount between the target pivot angle change amount and the actual pivot angle change amount; a determination section arranged to determine an abnormality regarding steering of the propelling system main body if the gap amount is greater than or equal to a first threshold value, and to determine no abnormality regarding the steering of the propelling system main body if the gap amount is less than the first threshold value; and an engine control unit arranged and programmed to prevent the actuator from pivoting the propelling system main body when the determination section determines the abnormality regarding the steering of the propelling system main body.