Got my jack plate installed!

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by Gfunk

BTW, without the jackplate the transom was solid, but with all the added leverage, I was able to move it a bit. So I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Well, even the Empire State building moves in the wind. Doesn't mean it's not solid. Point is, you have added extra leverage which can put additional pressure on the transom. Even the most solid transom will flex under the right conditions. As Archemedes once said, "Give me a lever long enough, and a point to anchor it and I'll move the world". And of course what he meant was that as you increase the length of of a lever you also increase the force it can exert against whatever it's anchored to, providing the fulcrum point stays the same. So in your case, by increasing the length of the engine, you've also increased the amount of force your engine can exert against your transom. That doesn't mean that you have a bad transom that needs to be replaced.