Commander 270 is my first boat too. I'm in a DIY boatyard on the Chesapeake that could pass for a Pearson museum. At least half the Ariels and Commanders have a 3/4" piece of plywood epoxied to the inner wall of the motor well to beef up the fiberglass. I think this comes from the trend toward heavier, higher horsepower outboards. My boat came with an 8HP Sailmaster (quite a grunt). I read somewhere that Alberg expected these wells to house 4hp motors. Big difference in weight, torque and wear and tear. Mine is torn up too and is on the list for this winter.

Most outboard brackets have holes drilled through them to bolt the motor to the bracket or transom in addition to the clamps. My shade-tree outboard mechanic highly recommends that I install bolts next year. According to him the clamps were never designed to be the only thing holding the motor on to any type of boat. He recommends three fasteners: clamps, bolts and a steel safety lanyard looped through the lifting handle in case the first two fail.