1988 Comp missing strut

I am a newbie, just bought my first boat, a 1988 Supra Comp. It needs a fair bit of clean up, but is in pretty good running condition. I was just reading through the online manual for a 1989 Comp and noticed it has a strut that I assume adds support for the shaft between the prop and the motor. Mine does not have a strut...is this bad? I don't recall seeing any holes in the hull indicating that it was missing. Did they have struts in 1988 or was 1989 the first year?

Let's see a picture of the prop area of your boat

I have an '88 comp. I've attached, hopefully, a couple of photos of my shaft/prop section. Hope this helps.

Hah! That big brass thing with the bearings in it? That's your strut.

Awesome! Thanks for the quick replies folks. I have a strut on there now, so all is well. I'm glad I didn't take it out on the water yet as I imagine I would've wrecked something.