Balance advice and input

[Commander227]

From my experience the boat will sail much better if you get that bow down a couple of inches. Throw some sand bags in the chain locker and see for yourself. I have around 300 lbs of batteries in the chain locker and no weight from an outboard in the stern.
The owner of C299 just put a Parson electric outboard that is much lighter than his old 9hp. He put his batteries in the nose and is happier with the way she sails. he still squats more than The Princess but its much better
I know conventional wisdom says to keep the weight out of the ends, but the better performance is well worth carrying the extra weight.
Mike
C227

[Lucky Dawg]

So... 240 lbs of tube sand in the chain locker and the aft end of the engine cutout is flowing free and easy. That must balance my 200lbs sitting far aft in the cockpit. Not sure about sailing performance. Sailed in light winds on Saturday and Monday and didn't notice a dramatic difference. Will be curious to see in a blow.

Below, that is a water flowing under the stern at about 5 kts - previously, the laz would usually have water sloshing around inside. Hence my bored out drain hole idea that ultimately didn't solve the issue.

(10/25/11 edit: Based on 10/24 sail in a pretty stiff breeze, I think the ride is nicer. Seems to cut through the water rather than "belly" through. The difference in ride is only a nuance, but my top speed seemed to be up 0.2-0.3 kts. The outboard cut-out continues to ride above the water even in a blow. Not a bad low-tech performance upgrade for under $14.00)