Patent ID: 7330782

Claim:
A control system for a marine vessel having an engine and a transmission associated with the engine, the control system comprising: a first control station comprising a first control arm having an operating range, wherein the first control arm is configured to cause variance of a first electrical signal that represents a position of the first control arm within its operating range; a second control station comprising a plurality of command input devices, a second control arm having an operating range, wherein the first control arm is configured to cause variance of a second electrical signal that represents a position of the second control arm within its operating range; and an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising: signal input means, electrically coupled to the first control arm and the second control arm, for receiving the first and second electrical signals, command input means, electrically coupled to the command input devices, for receiving a sequence of input command signals from the second control station, and control means for comparing the sequence of input command signals to a predefined input command sequence to identify one of the first and second control station as a master station, and, means for controlling a throttle of the engine and shift position of the transmission based on the electrical signals received from the master station.