The motor will come apart or fly up into the boat when you hit a stump. You generally want to avoid that.
I recently bought a boat with a power tilt outboard on it. I've never owned a motor with power tilt. My question is this.....What keeps you from ripping the transom off when you hit an underwater stump? Are there aftermarket products to combat this? Someone said I needed to buy a "kick up plate". What exactly is that? Thanks
The motor will come apart or fly up into the boat when you hit a stump. You generally want to avoid that.
This is why you should always operate your boat at safe speeds unless you're very familliar with the area of water you're in. Just because you're in 30' of water doesn't mean there isn't a submerged stump from a tree just below the surface. I've got a good friend who saw a boat wide open hit a stump in deep water, tore the transom off and flung the motor into the boat. Be warned.
Reaper, Where Fish come to Fry
Well I wasn't sure myself but that happened to me two weeks ago (not a stump though) I was running 25mph and was off my track by a few feet and ran up on a point. The motor kicked up (made contact with the bullet first then the skeg) what I found out after is there is a check valve in the system that alows the motor to kick up when need be without causing damage. But you really want to avoid it. The most sickening feeling in the world is hearing the exhaust of a Merc 150 while on the water
Last edited by KDAVID1; 05-25-2012 at 09:44 PM. Reason: spelling
I just know that my old manual tilt motor would kick up outa the water when I hit a stump. I'm not talking about hitting one at 40 mph. I'm talking about just cruising in coves and hitting one. Didn't figure a power tilt motor would kick up like that. Like I said, someone told me I needed a "kick up plate". No idea what that is unless he was talking about a jack plate.
you do have to hit pretty hard and square to kick it up. a stump at idle won't do it--it does take a bit of force with the power tilt. Don't think it was a jack plate
her is the worst case ive seen. my cuz on his canada trip. WHAT YOU DONT WANT TO DO TO YOUR MOTOR!!!! WARNING THIS MITE SCARE SOME MERC OWNERS! LOL-- ( the video with the triton boat in it (cant get link to work?)--http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v6...16-2010137.mp4
Last edited by river scum; 05-26-2012 at 05:35 AM.
Think he is referring to a flat plate that mounts to your skeg when you hit something it takes the force and pushes over the obstacle have only seen them on small motors around here.
There has been a thousand stories from Grenada of boats "some new" ripping the transom out.
Not long ago I heard of somebody getting killed when they ran bass boat into a stump at high speed.
A few years ago a man got killed at horseshoe when running at high speed and hit a log. It through the motor over and the prop cut him. That was a small outboard with out T&T.
A "kick up plate" or break away plate is a type of jackplate addon that releases the motor if something is struck.
I don't think its for high speed or big engines.
Here it is. With this you can have reverse drive with out it kicking up but it will break away if you hit something then reset.
CMC Breakaway Motor Protector by T-H Marine, Power Lifts, Trim & Tilt, Boating Outboards & Accessories, Boating : Cabela's