Kicker bracket mounting questions

[60LOWRIDER]

I recently bought a C HAWK 22 sport cabin and want to add a kicker outboard.I picked up a Fulton adjustable bracket off Craigslist locally and want to install my 8hp Evinrude on it.My question is do I really need to have the cavitation plate level with the bottom of the hull or can I mount it a little higher so I can use the tiller handle extended somewhat?I would think that as long as the prop is below the waterline and its only going to push it so fast there should not be an issue with cavitation.My other idea is to just get a longer shaft small outboard.I mounted it on a stand to give me an idea of how will operate and what it will look like installed.The original Fulton instructions call for the outboards skeg to be 1 1/2 inches above hull in the raised position.