Marine propulsion system having a water pump driven by an electric motor

1. Field of the Invention A marine propulsion system is provided with an electric motor that drives a water pump. This arrangement allows an engine control unit to selectively change the speed of the electric motor and the water pump to suit operating conditions of the engine. Rather than driving the water pump directly from an output shaft of the internal combustion engine, it is driven by the electric motor which responds to signals provided by the engine control unit. These signals are preferably pulsed width modulated signals in which the duty cycle is changed to affect a change in the operating speed of the motor.