If you can't move the
engine forward (and this may be, if somewhat counterintuitively, easier to extend the stringers, move the mounts, and
rebuild the
companionway to be a little shallower), why not a simple DriveSaver? It's a reasonable compromise unless you
motor consistently in rough waters, which in B.C. is perhaps the case.
Another thought is perhaps there is a shorter
transmission you might use that gives you sufficient space, but eight inches is a lot of stern tube to compensate for.