Springsharp doesn't handle an Elswick cruiser very well

I thought that designing an Elswick cruiser would be an interesting exercise. Little did I know that Springsharp doesn't handle such a ship very well. My ship has 2-8in and 10-6in guns and a speed of 23 knots. I had to increase the size of the ship too much and increase the draft, as well. The protection is primarily a 4in protective deck. The ship uses coal-fired boilers, of course, and has reciprocating engines. Presumably, if I had lightened the machinery enough, the design would have worked better. This is the Springsharp report:

Elswick cruiser, Great Britain Protected Cruiser laid down 1892 (Engine 1904)

Displacement:
 8,154 t light; 8,465 t standard; 9,183 t normal; 9,757 t full load

Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
 (432.00 ft / 425.00 ft) x 48.00 ft x (23.00 / 24.25 ft)
 (131.67 m / 129.54 m) x 14.63 m  x (7.01 / 7.39 m)

Armament:
      2 - 8.00" / 203 mm 45.0 cal guns - 250.00lbs / 113.40kg shells, 150 per gun
   Breech loading guns in deck and hoist mounts, 1892 Model
   2 x Single mounts on centreline ends, evenly spread
      10 - 6.00" / 152 mm 45.0 cal guns - 100.00lbs / 45.36kg shells, 150 per gun
   Quick firing guns in deck and hoist mounts, 1892 Model
   10 x Single mounts on sides, evenly spread
      Weight of broadside 1,500 lbs / 680 kg
      5 - 18.0" / 457 mm, 18.00 ft / 5.49 m torpedoes - 0.497 t each, 2.484 t total
 In 5 sets of deck mounted carriage/fixed tubes

Armour:
   - Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
 Main: 6.00" / 152 mm 3.00" / 76 mm  6.00" / 152 mm
 2nd: 4.00" / 102 mm 3.00" / 76 mm  4.00" / 102 mm

   - Protected deck - single deck: 4.00" / 102 mm For and Aft decks
 Forecastle: 4.00" / 102 mm  Quarter deck: 4.00" / 102 mm

   - Conning towers: Forward 6.00" / 152 mm,  Aft 0.00" / 0 mm

Machinery:
 Coal fired boilers, complex reciprocating steam engines, 
 Direct drive, 2 shafts, 26,401 ihp / 19,695 Kw = 23.00 kts
 Range 3,800nm at 12.00 kts
 Bunker at max displacement = 1,292 tons (100% coal)

Complement:
 468 - 609

Cost:
 £0.980 million / $3.921 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
 Armament: 426 tons, 4.6 %
    - Guns: 424 tons, 4.6 %
    - Torpedoes: 2 tons, 0.0 %
 Armour: 1,574 tons, 17.1 %
    - Armament: 314 tons, 3.4 %
    - Armour Deck: 1,203 tons, 13.1 %
    - Conning Tower: 57 tons, 0.6 %
 Machinery: 3,882 tons, 42.3 %
 Hull, fittings & equipment: 2,271 tons, 24.7 %
 Fuel, ammunition & stores: 1,029 tons, 11.2 %
 Miscellaneous weights: 0 tons, 0.0 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
 Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
   3,961 lbs / 1,797 Kg = 15.5 x 8.0 " / 203 mm shells or 0.7 torpedoes
 Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.22
 Metacentric height 2.4 ft / 0.7 m
 Roll period: 13.0 seconds
 Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 61 %
   - Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.58
 Seaboat quality  (Average = 1.00): 1.22

Hull form characteristics:
 Hull has rise forward of midbreak,
   a ram bow and a cruiser stern
 Block coefficient (normal/deep): 0.685 / 0.690
 Length to Beam Ratio: 8.85 : 1
 'Natural speed' for length: 20.62 kts
 Power going to wave formation at top speed: 55 %
 Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 50
 Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): -3.00 degrees
 Stern overhang: -2.00 ft / -0.61 m
 Freeboard (% = length of deck as a percentage of waterline length):
    Fore end,  Aft end
    - Forecastle: 25.00 %,  20.00 ft / 6.10 m,  17.00 ft / 5.18 m
    - Forward deck: 30.00 %,  17.00 ft / 5.18 m,  17.00 ft / 5.18 m
    - Aft deck: 30.00 %,  15.00 ft / 4.57 m,  15.00 ft / 4.57 m
    - Quarter deck: 15.00 %,  15.00 ft / 4.57 m,  16.00 ft / 4.88 m
    - Average freeboard:  16.48 ft / 5.02 m
 Ship tends to be wet forward

Ship space, strength and comments:
 Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 151.9 %
  - Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 104.2 %
 Waterplane Area: 16,133 Square feet or 1,499 Square metres
 Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 85 %
 Structure weight / hull surface area: 92 lbs/sq ft or 450 Kg/sq metre
 Hull strength (Relative):
  - Cross-sectional: 0.95
  - Longitudinal: 1.63
  - Overall: 1.00
 Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is cramped
 Room for accommodation and workspaces is adequate
 Good seaboat, rides out heavy weather easily