Are those angle-cut motor supports in the splashwell???

You have been busy. I agree with raising the transom for peace of mind, speed and efficiency. I get nervous with water on deck, not so much in the splashwell.
Opti's alarm will sound of a steady tone for overheat and will go into limp mode to protect itself. Do you have the Smartcraft gauges? You might have had a thermostat stick closed or something odd like that.

Motor supports?
 

Had to look twice before I realized what you were talking about......
The trolling board going across the back is actually inserted into to the gunnel mount rod holders (turned them around 180 degrees). The white things you see in the splashwell are the rubber inserts from the holders. Had to remove them to install the rod holder.

I decided to go ahead and get the jackplate, saw one similar to the one above but with only about 3/8" setback from where it is now. I'll look at both and see which one to go with. I'll also extend the transom cutout and glass the cap either over the summer or next winter.

Thanks for all the advice guys, taking this out for a five day trip to Lake Cumberland later this week to catch some stripers and all this puts my mind at ease since we usually leave the boat in the water for the entire trip.

Just be sure your bilge pump and float switch are in good working order. You should be fine.

Glad you are getting the jack plate, otherwise raising the transom without raising the motor could have caused clearance issues with your tilt.

Like others have said, I'm 200 lbs but I have water in the splashwell frequently (200 Johnson on a jackplate) and a wet deck occasionally. The deck is only around an inch above the waterline on my 81.

I wouldn't bother with adding more scuppers.

GFUNK, I have a question about your scuppers in your spashwell. :head:What do they connect to?. Most V's don't have holes there that I am aware of.
Did the PO re-route the deck drains to the spashwell? You mention 4 thru hull drains ( I assume 2 in the transom and 2 on the sides just above waterline?).

those are the deck drains..... they are factory and mine are the same

2 from deck to splashwell and 2 from the splashwell through the transom = 4

I thought the same thing Bradford said...hot battery and good working bilge pumps...

I've never had the opportunity to fish Cumberland...but from what I hear, spool on big line and hang on!!...what do yall use for striper bait up there?...let us know how that trip goes!!...pics if ya can!!...:beer:

Thanks again guys
 

Going to fish it this way for awhile before I make any major changes. It occasionally will go to Lake Erie or Lake Michigan and I want to make sure it's safe.

Stripers- We usually use shad that we catch using a cast nest, lately though we've been using umbrella rigs with a good deal of success. HEading out tomorrow am, should be in the water by 2:00pm. I'll post some pics when we get back, although not sure we're keeping any this time. There's a good deal of gill lice in the lake right now and all the websites say they're ok to eat, but I don't know......

The stripers down here in Lake Murray got lice for a while...I was talking to a state biologist recently about something else and the lice came up...he said it was a pretty gross condition to see, but that the fish were perfectly safe to eat...

Still, it's a decision you have to make for yourself...