Impact With Underwater Hazards - Mercury 300 - PRO MAX 3.0L User Manual

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GENERAL INFORMATION
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Impact With Underwater Hazards

Reduce speed and proceed with caution whenever you're driving a
boat in shallow water areas or in areas where the waters are sus-
pected of having underwater obstacles that could be struck by the
outboard or the boat bottom. The most important thing you can
do to help reduce injury or impact damage from striking a float-
ing or underwater object is control the boat speed. Under these
conditions, boat speed should be kept to a minimum planing
speed (15 to 25 MPH).
To avoid serious injury or death from all or part of an outboard
coming into the boat after striking a floating or underwater ob-
stacle maintain a top speed no greater than minimum planing
speed.
Striking a floating or underwater object could result in an infinite
number of situations. Some of these situations could result in the fol-
lowing:
•
Part of the outboard or the entire outboard could break loose and
fly into the boat.
•
The boat could move suddenly in a new direction. Such a sharp
change in direction or turn can cause occupants to be thrown out
of their seats or out of the boat.
•
A rapid reduction in speed. This will cause occupants to be
thrown forward, even out of the boat.
•
Impact damage to the outboard and/or boat.
WARNING
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