Patent ID: 7325506

Claim:
A system for controlling an outboard motor mounted on a stern of a boat and having an internal combustion engine, comprising: an actuator for steering the outboard motor; an actuator for changing shift position of the outboard motor; an actuator for regulating a speed of the engine; a plurality of navigation units responsive to operation of an operator for producing outputs indicative of a command to operate at least one of the actuators, a plurality of control units for controlling the operation of said at least one of the actuators based on the outputs from the navigation units; an output forwarding unit for inputting the outputs of the navigation units and for forwarding the output of one of the navigation units to the control units; and a plurality of switchover buttons responsive to operation by the operator for switching the output to be forwarded by the output forwarding unit, wherein the output forwarding unit gradually changes the output to be forwarded from the output before switchover to the output after switchover, when a value of the output to be forwarded differs between before and after switchover.