[Tom]

Like the other good advice, you should get 1.5" of flotation with the bracket. The lower you mount it, the more of it will be in the water giving buoyancy - but you may run our of holes to be able to raise your engines to the right height. Do the math carefully!. For every 12" of setback, you can expect to mount 1" higher than if on the transom.

It would probably be best to fair, finish and complete the transom painting prior to mounting up the bracket. It will be easier to get a good job laying out the awgrip with it off. I am not envisioning why you have to wait for the bracket to be bolted up...is there an acess problem on the inside?

When you rig the engines, use the yamaha grey hose and female fittings for the transom and mount them close to the centerline - this will give you more "walking room" on either side of hte bracket. Mount the hydraulic lines directly under the rigging tubes - both should be as high as possible to prevent water getting in there.,.

I disagree on forcing the transom to conform to the bracket. The bracket will not bend. period. This means as you tighten up all the bolts, you are forcing the transom to bend, putting tension on one side, and compression on the other. Start jumping waves with point loads, and these non-static forces, along with the loads of the engine, and something will move and crack. Its like torquing the heads on a motor - do it wrong and bad things happen. the 5200 will not fill voids and let you tighten up against the hardened sealant. I have made this mistake once, and am currently having to live with the solution...So, spend a few more hourse fairing and sanding now and do the job right, like you know in the back of your head.... good luck!