Bracket on an 18' boat?

[1rider]

I recently bought a '96 sailfish which is a knock off of seacraft's hull in many ways.

The notch in the transom to hang the motor is too low (IMO) and I get more seawater coming in than I am comfortable with.

My question is wether or not I can/should close the transom and put a bracket on it. I guess my concerns are wether the boat will still ride alright and wether there is an of the shelf bracket that I could purchase.

Thanks for any insight you can offer.

Patrick