Outboard motor

An outboard motor comprising:

• a prime mover;
• a driveshaft extending in an up/down direction below the prime mover and to which a rotation of the prime mover is transmitted;
• a gear mechanism coupled to a lower end of the driveshaft and to which a rotation of the driveshaft is transmitted;
• a propeller shaft to which a rotation of the gear mechanism is transmitted;
• a lower case in which the driveshaft is inserted and defining a gear chamber that houses the gear mechanism and a lubricating oil;
• an upper bearing located above the gear mechanism and rotatably supporting the driveshaft inside the lower case;
• a feed passage, through which the lubricating oil flows upward from the gear mechanism due to rotation of the gear mechanism, extending upward from the gear chamber;
• a return passage separate from the feed passage that returns the lubricating oil, fed by the feed passage, to the gear chamber;
• and
• a connection passage that guides the lubricating oil from the feed passage to the return passage;
• wherein
• the feed passage includes:
• a first feed passage including a first upstream passage extending upward from the gear chamber and a spiral passage spirally surrounding the driveshaft below the upper bearing, the first feed passage extending from the gear chamber to the connection passage via the first upstream passage, the spiral passage, and an interior of the upper bearing, in that order;
• and
• a second feed passage including a bypass passage that is disposed around the spiral passage, is separate from the spiral passage, and includes two ends spaced apart in a circumferential direction of the driveshaft, the second feed passage extending from the gear chamber to the return passage and bypassing the spiral passage due to the bypass passage.