I’ve had a little 12 ft (3.28m) aluminum boat with a 6 HP Johnson outboard for years. The motor is big enough to get from point A -> B but not big enough to push the boat up on plane if I’m the only one in it.
I try to put as much weight at the bow as I can but it’s usually still not enough. Yesterday, I was going fishing for a bit and I thought, “I wonder what would happen if I put this cinder block up front?”
It worked great. I don’t know why I didn’t try it years ago.
That’s a snazzy trick. Have you played with the tilt of the motor? That helped mine heaps