Bracket on a 20 MA questions

[Bushwacker]

. . I think I would leave the motor well open (like in the picture) and I have the original spash well so it should keep out water and if I was just going to swiming and barbeque and such I could take it out.

But sounds like either way would work if I can find a 20" shaft engine in good shape...

I would not put a 20" motor on a bracket; powerhead will be too close to the water. Get a 5" extension kit instead like Fred H did on his. I think they're available for most motors.

One advantage I noticed with bracket is that it increases your trim range. It shifts CG aft so it's pretty easy to get a lot of the bow out of the water; can probably pick up 2-3 mph top end that way. I can run almost 50 mph with top down and full tank of gas with just me in the boat. However the longer shaft and/or leverage of the bracket seems to make the power trim much more effective at controlling running angle, so I can also trim the bow down and plane at 12 mph for a soft ride in rough seas. I just use the tabs for lateral trim and adjust running angle with engine trim.

Hermco has a version of the bracket with just a covering board for the cutout which you could use to avoid filling the transom. Here's a shot of the Hermco bracket with the big flotation tub plus a couple of ideas for what you can do with the splashwell.