My old Eastside (18') has a motorwell in it so that is probably a bit different than what you are talking about.

One thing that I often need to do, especially if fishing alone, is to throw the anchor in the bow. Really makes a big difference in the amount of "Freeboard" in the back.

I run a 4 stroke 5 horse Honda. There are a few things I don't like about it. The #%$^ @#$%^& dies an awful lot. New Carb etc. Still a pain in the ass. It also tends to be too fast. I have a new trolling plate, but haven't "modified" the hull for it to fit yet. I use it mostly to travel or to pull plugs in big water like the Cow or Columbia.

I have 10' Ash Oars which are getting pretty beat up. Looking for a pair of 10' Cataracts. If you care to part with a set, even 9 1/2 please e-mail me at ifishthere4iam@hotmail.com