If you ignore some of the words in G18, like "maximum" and "must" then yes, you can choose a looser interpretation. I read it to mean (when combined with the bumper rules and the flag rules) that your robot can have no horizontal dimension that exceeds the height at the start of the match. Also the flag rules require a flag holder with the top at 51 inches.
Sooo, I guess I respectfully disagree with your assessment
