Hi Mike, I'm afraid this is all trial and error. Let's start with the obvious: do you weigh 300 lbs, and is your wife / girlfriend similarly endowed, or are you in the 170 lb range and she in the 140 lb range? In the first case you have 600 lbs in the cockpit vs, 300 lbs in the second; or are you sailing alone and then there is only 170 lbs in the cockpit - but where? - in the middle or forward in the cockpit? What you want to do is keep the transom from being in the water: i.e., you want the water to flow from the hull, not curl around and add drag if the transom is in the water. With this as a base line, you now can play with shifting weights inside the boat to keep the transom clear of the water, when you are in your favorite "captain's" position in the cockpit. On my M15, I keep my big anchor / chain / rode as far forward as I can - under the access panel in the berths, to add as much weight there as possible. I only keep light objects at the stern end of the cockpit sail locker: plastic bucket / cleaning materials / fenders: the heavier items; anchor / chain / rode are in the forward end of the sail locker, as are mooring lines and spare outboard fuel. Another factor is the weight of your outboard ................... small and light or large and heavy? The goal is to keep the stern from squatting in the water: to do that move weight forward. Connie