We used to take the outboards off our sailboats for racing. We built cradles and put the motors in the cabin. I'm talking about Ranger 23's, Ranger 26's, C&C 24's, my Mark 25, J22's, etc. That's how much the consensus was that the weight of the outboard affected performance. It's not just the weight. It's the weight contributing to the inertial moment of the boat in waves. And yes the helmsman sits forward of the tiller for the same reason. Crew on the rail where the keel is - same reason.
