Patent ID: 6899577

Claim:
A shift mechanism for an outboard motor mounted on a stern of a boat and having an internal combustion engine at its upper portion and a propeller at its lower portion that is powered by the engine to propel the boat, comprising: a propeller shaft connected to the propeller; a forward gear and a reverse gear rotating the propeller shaft in a forward direction or in a reverse direction opposite to the forward direction, when engaged with the propeller shaft in response to a rotation of a shift rod; a vertical shaft connected to the engine and transmitting an output of the engine to the propeller shaft through the forward gear or the reverse gear when the forward gear or the reverse gear is engaged to the propeller shaft; the vertical shaft being divided into a plurality of shaft members; an electromagnetic clutch connecting/disconnecting the shaft members of the vertical shaft; a sensor generating a signal indicative of an instruction to shift inputted by an operator; and a controller controlling the operation of the electromagnetic clutch in response to the instruction to shift such that one of the forward gear and the reverse gear corresponding to the instruction to shift is engaged with the propeller shaft.