New here also

[tommy54]

Thanks for the input. That got me thinking about what material I may have laying around. I had a transom reinforcement plate from a pontoon(1/2" aluminum) that I cut in half, put the top half in the splashwell, and the bottom half down in the bilge for the lower two bolts. It may not be a permanent fix, but it's a lot stronger than before. I took the opportunity with the old engine off to pressure wash the bilge, then got sidetracked with removing old wiring in the bilge. I am moving the battery up to the console as long as I'm cleaning things up for better weight distribution. I do get concerned with the 20" transom. Someone added a layer of plywood to the floor, and there are no more scuppers, so this is not a self bailing boat.
Thanks for the info on propping. I believe I have a 15 pitch Yamaha prop on there, so it may just work. I'm anxious to see how the 90 horsepower motor performs on the boat. I've always rigged engines with the cavitation plate level with the bottom of the hull, is it a Seacraft specific thing to put it 1.5" above the bottom of the keel?