RE: Hit a bass?
the race meat before the last one I attended had a plastic crate floating just under the surface of the water that did a few boats over before the retrieval boat finally found it.
the last race I was at a hydro hit something that punched a small hole onthe bottom & blew the top panel off the boat, like a gunshot wound, but was probably a stick. At the same race I hit something that knocked my rudder back, but didn't shear the brass bolt. It was big enough to spin the boat around though.
I've hit something with my micro rigger (renegade rigger) that ripped off the turnfin strut & cracked open the stuffing tube exit in the main tub, I think that was a turtle. the prop was fine luckily.