Re: How bad is this?
Ken,
I was almost positive that floor would be lower than the waterline. I haven't seen a non-bracketed 23' with twin V-6's that didn't sit LOW on the back.
As for the splash well, I had something like that on my boat till I redid the transom. It would keep the flood out but it wasn't dry back there by any stretch.
With that said, I would make sure I had at least 2 bilge pumps on 2 different switches wired directlly to 2 different batteries, and a high water alarm. If the boat is going to spend most of it's life on a trailer, a lift, or dry storage, it's not such a big deal. If the boat is going to spend alot of time tied up to a dock, then I think you might really need to look hard at this.
Also, if it has an in floor live well, these have a habit of overfilling over the floor, and if your drain is into the bilge, instead of over the side, you can sink pretty fast.
As for your estimate on the bracket, I think your a little low unless your planning on doing it yourself. I think the only bracket I would use for something with that much weight would be the Hermco, and they aren't cheap. On a single engine rig, the DnD or Armstrong would probably be ok, but with that much weight, I don't see any other option.
Did you sea trial the boat? How was the balance under way, and how low did it sit at rest?
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