Outboard motor control apparatus

An apparatus for controlling operation of an outboard motor adapted to be mounted on a stern of a boat and having an internal combustion engine to power a propeller through a drive shaft and a propeller shaft, a transmission that is installed at a location between the drive shaft and the propeller shaft, the transmission being selectively changeable in gear position to establish speeds including at least a first speed and a second speed and transmitting power of the engine to the propeller with a gear ratio determined by established speed, and a trim angle regulation mechanism regulating a trim angle relative to the boat through trim-up/down operation, comprising:

• a throttle opening change amount detector that detects a change amount of throttle opening of the engine;
• an engine speed detector that detects speed of the engine;
• a rudder angle detector that detects a rudder angle of the outboard motor relative to the boat;
• a transmission controller that controls operation of the transmission to change the gear position from the second speed to the first speed when the second speed is selected and the detected change amount of the throttle opening is equal to or greater than a first predetermined value;
• and
• a trim angle controller that controls operation of the trim angle regulation mechanism to start the trim-up operation such that the trim angle converges to a predetermined angle when the detected engine speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed,
• wherein the trim angle controller controls the operation of the trim angle regulation mechanism such that the trim angle is decreased based on the detected rudder angle when steering of the outboard motor is started.