Stability and weight question for newbie

Hello, i am building a 17ft wooden boat, just wondering what the difference is between the flatness or the steepness of the hull and how it affects the hull in the water, and how would you work out where it will sit in the water and how heavy i can make the interior of the boat so it sits true in the water? make sense to anyone?

 

I'll assume your first question is about the amount of deadrise a particular hull may employ. The choice of hull type and how much deadrise is quite complicated to explain, but basically it boils down to design element decisions made during conception, with an eye toward several issues.

The second question about where a boat may sit is purely a function of cubic volume, displacing water, much like the water you physically displace as you step into a full bath tub.

Weight calculations are one of the jobs we perform as a design progresses. I have a pretty general idea of what things will weight initially, but refine this several time during the design development process, so that in the end, the weight estimates are quite accurate. These weight assessments, in conjunction with the volume distribution determine where the boat will float come launch day.

If you're building a 17' boat, then you probably shouldn't deviate very far from the plans. Small boats are very weight sensitive and it can adversely affect their trim and handling qualities.