What bolts are bent? the ones at the "rear" of the plate. Everybody gets this issue. You have to get it close to where you want it (I use a block of wood and a floor jack) and re-drill the holes for the rear bolts straight through from the bottom to "straighten the holes for the bolt to be at a right angle to the plate. You may need to clean up the taper in the plate with a countersinking bit.
It is normally recommended that you start where the other guys said, 3° up, not inches, from the angle of the keel... Check the angle of the bottom of the hull (I use a strake if you have one) and subtract (or add, depending on what the angle of the hull is) 3°. Done. You will know right away if it is too high, it will ride like the little horsey in front of the grocery store....
GT
