Patent ID: 8808139

Claim:
A marine propulsion system comprising: a propulsor that propels a marine vessel; an internal combustion engine that powers the propulsor via a driveshaft; a clutch that is movable between a closed position wherein the internal combustion engine is operationally connected to the driveshaft and an open position wherein the internal combustion engine is operationally disconnected from the driveshaft; an electric motor that selectively applies torque on the driveshaft; and a control circuit that controls the electric motor to selectively apply a load torque on the driveshaft after the clutch is requested to move into the open position, to thereby dislodge the clutch from the closed position; wherein the control circuit further compares the rotational speed of the motor to a rotational speed of the internal combustion engine to determine whether the clutch is in one of the open and closed positions.