The boat has been a lot lower than it sits now. How far forward does that brown stain go, and how consistant is the height of the stain? If it goes all the way to the front, the boat has been full of water for some time. A flooded bracket would sink the stern, and raise the bow, and the stain wouldn't go past mid ship, IMHO.
Even if the stain is only in the rear half, I still think the hull was flooded. I don't think the bracket has enough volume to do that by itself.