I do see your point and I am open to any ideas and am not dead set on anything because I want to make sure it is going to hold up. I did have an outboard break off of an inflatable boat transom once and it wasn't a fun experience. I can't imagine trying to recover a 200hp off the bottom of the river. I did see this picture in one of the galleries and this is where I got the 3 piece transom idea.
http://www.wellcraftv20.com/gallery/...0001.sized.jpg