Hit a few large bumps in the road by accident and broke my retainer ring on my motor. Are there replacements instead of buying a whole new motor? Also is there a way to mount motors above the deck to keep the motor safer?
That would depend entirely on which motor you have.
As for getting the motors out of the way then reverse mount with long plates will do the trick.
These are sitting a bit low in this pic but the finished article they are much higher without fouling on the deck.
it is rare to see this kind of motor wheels. this is one kind, but it seems not likely same
Good luck