Impact With Underwater Hazards - Mercury 225 Pro XS User Manual

Impact With Underwater Hazards

Reduce speed and proceed with caution whenever you drive a boat in
shallow water areas, or in areas where you suspect underwater obstacles
may exist which 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 floating or underwater object is to control the boat speed.
Under these conditions, boat speed should be kept to a minimum planing
speed 24 to 40 km/h (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 obstacle 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 following:
• 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 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, or even out of the boat.
• Impact damage to the outboard and/or boat.
Keep in mind, the most important thing you can do to help reduce injury or
impact damage during an impact is control the boat speed. Boat speed
should be kept to a minimum planing speed when driving in waters known
to have underwater obstacles.
After striking a submerged object, stop the engine as soon as possible and
inspect it for any broken or loose parts. If damage is present or suspected,
the outboard should be taken to an authorized dealer for a thorough
inspection and necessary repair.
GENERAL INFORMATION
WARNING
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