Aiight. I gonna take a stab at this, since it's been cess-pooling here a bit anyway, and an idiots opinion is better than no opinion. (My mamma taught me that....good huh?)
First, I think you're right, the ride plate is inducing a "false" rocker to the boat, its WAY to high. Looks like it needs to come down maybe as much as an inch at the rear.
Second, I would hook those turnbuckles back up to the fasteners on the transom, right beside the bowl. Just me, and splitting hairs here on it, but there's going to be flex no matter where, but there, it's triangulated better, for one, and if the entire pump is flexing, it may offset that somewhat.
Other than that, yeah, trim tabs might be the way to go.
Ray