Last year, I hit a submerged stump going probably 15-20mph and it did not break my trim system. I have since learned about breakaway jack plates and just wondered if the stock mercury trim on a newer outboard had any engineering to allow for some give in those situations? I can't recall but it seems like I had to trim back down, so maybe it did lift the motor from the impact. I was VERY impressed with the motor and the boat because you would have thought it was major damage based on the sound and feeling in the boat. It bent the skeg slightly but it was easy to straighten up.
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