I solo my i14t almost every outing which is quite a bit. I put a 6lb anchor in the bow compartment to hold the nose down some but not sure it makes much difference. The boat handles well and I never think about being solo. Not sure what you mean by balance but the boat is extremely stable. It's nice to have the extra pedal power of another person in strong winds or against a strong tidal current but not necessary. One advantage to sitting in the back with another paddler/peddler up front is that you can slack off some and the front person never knows