Patent ID: 7381107

Claim:
An outboard motor mounted on a stern of a boat and having an internal combustion engine and an electric motor as selective sources of power for driving a propeller, said outboard motor comprising: a first output shaft connected to the engine for transmitting output of the engine to the propeller; and a second output shaft connected to the motor for transmitting output of the motor to the propeller, the second output shaft being disposed coaxially with the first output shaft; wherein the second output shaft has a hollow cylindrical space formed therein along the entire length of said shaft, wherein the second output shaft is positioned outward of the first output shaft, wherein a portion of the first output shaft is disposed in the hollow cylindrical space within the second output shaft, wherein the first and second shafts are situated in a fixed relationship to each other in the axial direction, and wherein the first output shaft passes through the entire length of the second output shaft.