Nice bracket there, I was wondering if you were thinking about a direct transom bolt-on based on the amazing conditions you encountered.
I have a few reasons for loving my Eastern which has the engine sitting on the transom. Most importantly, I can easily remove the engine cowl if necessary on the water, while standing in a very secure place. This allows me to do the few, minor adjustments that one can do on modern outboards. Also I've heard that brackets make docking a bit of a challenge, but have never piloted a boat with one so I'm not sure about this.
The third reason is that my prior boat had a "Euro-trahsom" and in my older age, as "The Force" tends not to be strong in many of us, I always had to have a "piss bucket" on board. Always nice to be able to stroll over to the transom and work in unison with the engine's "P-tube"...
Ugghh totally forgot about metal tanks in older boats, dang!! You gonna check it or just say screw it and replace with plastic one?
This is an amazing project and I love being able to follow it!
Continued good luck - Dom
Dam don't make m look that far back anymore. 
