Blocking up the engine

On my boat, the engine sits level because it has the power plus tranny. I, Like you, did not want to pull the trans. What you need to do is take a bottle jack and put it under one of the exhast manifolds, with the bottom of the jack on the stringer. Get the jack just snug under the manifold before taking anything off. I also put a length of 4x4 on the other side under the other manifold for stability, and shimmed it for a tight fit. What you are doing here is maintaining the balance of the engine. The majority of the weight should still be on the front mounts. The bottle jack is crucial because if your engine is on too much of an angle you can just loosen the front mounts where they meet the engine and actually jack the rear of the engine up with the trans connected using the jack under the manifold. I just did this to replace my damper plate and it worked PERFECTLY. While you have the trans off, you should also replace the damper plate. Well worth it if you already have the trans out.

Also, before you start blocking the engine, unbolt the drive shaft and let it slide towards the back of the boat. You may want to pad the prop so you don't hit the rudder. Then block up the exhaust manis and remove the trans.

I got mine from Skidim.com, they may have one for yours or at least point you in the right direction.

If you do the damper, the bell housing will have to come off, so you may still have to use the exhaust manis... good idea though if you just remove the trans.