[strick]

I think I see were you are hung up. The 30 inch setback measurement is taken from where the motor mounts to the bracket in a straight line to where the top of the bracket touches the transom. Dont worry about the 13 degree angle causing the bottom of the keel to be farther forward. As I said before on notched transom boats the cavitation plate is usually level with the bottom of the keel.... on bracketed boats the cavitation plate should be about 1 inch higher then the keel for every foot of setback.. Thus a 30 inch setback bracket would place the cavitation plate about 2.5 inches higher then the keel. If you are worried about having to lower the engine and destroying your bracket then just mount the bracket 1 inch lower then you had planned. On the boat I have now I have the anticavitation plate almost 3.5 inches above the keel and the boat runs great.. no cavitating what so ever so there is some room for error.

My comment about building as big a flotation chamber as possible had nothing to do with the difference in the length of the shafts of the two motors....my point was mearely that you have a big heavy motor and the more flotation you provide for the motor the nicer the boat will set in the water. Huage trim tabs may or may not get in the way of the bracket...D&D marine used to have a great installation page with diagrams for there brackets but they have since limited access to the page.

Strick