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First to Tom, then Bachus...

Yes. All maunfactureres use a standard bolt pattern now. The difference being Yamaha (and apprently Suzuki) have an additional set of bolt holes that other manufacturers don't. I can say this for a fact. My unmodified 2001 Yamaha bolts onto my transom with no additional or new holes in either the transom or the engine mount. I have viewed new Yamahas and can say they are the same as my 2001. I have also studied the Mercs and Hondas. They do NOT have this additional mounting hole in the mounting bracket. Again, all the manufacturers have the required holes to meet the required mounting standard, but Yamaha (and apparently Suzuki) have an extra set of holes.

To be specific, my 1963 Johnson 75HP had holes (as did the transom) for the lower mounting bolts that were 10-3/4" apart (+/- 1/16"). The lower mounting holes were 6" below the upper holes. I have the original Johnson manual for my engine. It states that Johnson did this mounting configuration just for some unusual boats. As this post will already be long, I won't try to post all the specs on the "new" standard bolt patterns, but I am certain you can see that they are different from what I had.

Bachus....I know there are more oppinions out there than you know what, but this should be an easy decision. I recommend you confirm what I have learned. Take the measurement of your transom, and go to your local dealers. Measure the mounts of the engines. You will find what I did. As much as I wanted to go with a Merc, since I have a great Merc dealer nearby, I couldn't pass the option of NOT modifying the transom. Yamaha and Suzuki.

...and for Cylcops. I think the next best solution would have been the jack plate, but when you look at the measurements I have to deal with, Most of the jack plates have too close a clearance to drill new holes. CMC indicated they would have nothing to do with a jack plate I re-drilled.