I would not call it normal but i have seen it before on some yamahas, the best thing you can do is bolt the moter on higher so that the anticavitation plate is in line or about half an inch below the boat bottom.
Thanks for the info. It's really odd. I need to build up the transom (it's a 15) and every way I measure the motor it comes up with 22. That puts the bottom hole at the top of the bracket awful close to the top of the stern. Looks like I'll have to build it higher and change it if I change motors.
