Ballast Placement question.

Hey gang. I have been looking around here about ballast location in the boat, but haven't found any old threads about it. I am wondering if it matters where ballast is placed in a boat, relative to the centerline. I run anywhere from about 1200 to 1600 pounds of weight in my direct drive boat using fat sacs. The boat is kind of tippy and if the rider cuts out hard, the the boat will lean over and the wake will wash out. I have been trying to experiment with ballast location to see if it makes a difference, but I haven't had any concrete results yet. I like to have sacs hidden under seats and such, but in the front for example, if I put them under the bow seats, they are pretty far away from the boat centerline. I guess what I am trying to figure out is if the ideal location for ballast, as far a stability, is along the centerline of the boat. Common sense tells me yes, but I am no hydrodynamic expert. It would seem like a lot of lead/steel shot down in the bilge of the boat right under my engine would be the most logical place for it and would make the boat more stable and/or less tippy. What do ya'll think?

you got it
The more weight you can get lower (closer to where boat meets water) the less tippy.

if you have a ski locker that works great, otherwise anything you can do to get the "V" of the hull to dig in the better

Anyone else have any thoughts and/or experience?

My boat is an I/O, so not sure how much this will help. I have 2 260# fat sacs under the bow seats and 2 400# fat sacs under the engine compartment. Use the trim to cure any washout. I always fill the front ones completely. the more I add to the rears the wake gets very steep, so I usually fill them 1/2 to 2/3. Wake is still pretty steep, but gets you up more than out. I will take some pics of the wake this weekend.

"The boat is kind of tippy and if the rider cuts out hard, the the boat will lean over and the wake will wash out."
I have always assumed this was due to the the leverage from the tower. If I cut out hard, I "coast" for a couple seconds to let the boat "right itself" before I cut back towards the wake.

I agree with Nick. Its physics really, just like a taller tower. The higher the weight the more "tippy". I personally never really used the bow of my boat for anything other than weight so I pulled the front seats, and put weight up there so it was lower as well.