AnonymousGearhead

So I asked this (mostly)in the boating section and wanted to run it by the Fishing people as well,, to add a couple things. It's time to get a boat to go fishing instead of my pontoon. I'm figuring on a 12-14' riveted jon boat. There's only 2 main lakes I'll be fishing. One is less than 300 acres, the other is just over 800, but can get windy at times. I just need the basics.

1. What trolling motor would you recommend? Bow or transom mount? I'll anchor as much as possible to avoid using the motor to stay in place.

2. What do you recommend for a budget fishfinder (say no more than $500? Preferably less)?

3. What battery (batteries) setup, a single battery or dual?

Anything else I'm missing?

So I am looking at picking up a jon boat this year for fishing. It'll be a cheap riveted model, anywhere from 12-15' length. My lakes don't allow gas, so I'll be using an electric only setup, and need to figure out a power system. I figure for a cheap setup, I can use a 12v transom mount trolling motor, since they would only require 1 battery and are generally cheaper. Other than a fishfinder, I don't anticipate any other electronics being on board. I will likely have days where I'm fishing for 8+ hours, and could run into heavy wind. Also, I've seen some solar chargers, since we get over 300 days of sun per year...but I would want to be somewhat minimalist in what I'm taking with me to have more fishing space, and because less weight means less battery power would be used to move, and would be able to fight the wind better. So what I want to know (since I've never owned a boat ) is:

1. What trolling motor would you recommend? For reference, the two main lakes I'd be visiting are a paltry 289 acres and about 800 acres.

2. One or two batteries or one battery and solar charger? Group 24 or 27 or something else?

Anything else I'm missing?

Which would you prefer...An 02-05 WRX sedan, or a 1998 Mustang Cobra? Here's the reason. I have the Cobra, it has 80,000 miles on it now, and my 2nd child was just born. Can't fit 2 car seats in the back of the mustang and still use the front passenger seat, so I can't take the whole family anywhere. I also live in Colorado, which means about 5 months of the year I can't even drive the Cobra. I can't afford car payments, so I would have to settle for whatever WRX I could afford for what I could get for the Cobra. Here's the tricky part...I don't WANT to sell the Cobra, but should I do it for my family? In the last year, I've spent $3500 rebuilding the engine, $500 completely replacing most of the brake system, new clutch, fairly new tires...Is it worth it to sell for a WRX where I would have to start over, and would need modifications just to get back to where a stock cobra is? What would you do?