I have an 18ft astro (says on the website it should be about 1300 lbs i dont know if that is with or without trailer (I'm very inexperienced in this, as this is my first boat, picture in signature) Currently I have a piece of sh*t motorguide (very low thrust) that is loud, and I must have it on highest setting, not to mention i dont think it was even meant for the bow, it just came with a bow mount (the handle was on backwards when I got it, so the prop is on the front now, if i were to troll through grass it would be the prop that gets hit not the little bullet nose part cone thing). It cannot even pull my boat in 12 mph winds. Knowing this, what is the best option for me? Never used a foot pedal, and cannot have a recessed spot for one, but I want to have one with a foot pedal because bending over to move it, is going to cause me to fall in the water one day. I almost fell in the other weekend about 20-25 times within an hour. I do not have a preference of minkota > motorguide, and I have no problem drilling new holes as long as I dont have to patch up the old ones. I do have (I think 12v not sure) a plug at the front of my boat that connects to my battery. I dont exactly WANT to take it anywhere to get it installed, but I'm not against it. Any suggestions welcome, I will only fish about 15mph winds or less, so I dont need an insane one that costs an arm and a leg.

EDIT, all I know is that the current one is a motorguide x3 model. No idea what the thrust is, but it was cheap and has a handle.

I would suggest as much TM as you can afford. I had an 18 foot Ranger and when I traded it on my current 20 ft. BassCat, I had just put a new Minnkota TM on it. Same size as the MG on my BassCat. I wish I had the dealer switch em out. For my money the Minnkota is far superior. Quieter by a long shot.

I was looking at this one, http://www.minnkotamotors.com/Products/EDGE-55-LB-45-INCH-SHAFT-FOOT/ the price is fine for me. Has anyone had a similar one, and what kind of rig was it on?

You want at least a 24 volt and even a 36 would be ok if you had room for the batteries. I have a 18.5 ranger with a 36 mk. You can have too little power but never too much same as a. It motor. You can find a good deal on s used one if you keep you eyes open. I got mine for 650 used, new it was about 1100. Hope this helps

do you really think I need that much power? maybe a 24 volt 70lb thrust would be more worth it? http://www.minnkotamotors.com/Products/EDGE-70-LB-45-INCH-SHAFT-FOOT/ only 600, is fine by me. I have problems buying anything used, so I dont want to go that route.

Minn Kota Fortrex 24 volt 80 thrust 45 in shaft FC/BM. I'm thinking you will not be happy with that Edge 55 the 70 may work if your looking to save some cash.

Power is not the only consideration. When you move up to 24 or 36 volt systems, you also get longer battery life during the day. You can stay out longer on windy days even at high thrust levels. I'm not sure but would imagine this also translates to longer battery life due to less stain on one battery.
All that said, you really can't have too much power!

and this is why I ask, because I do not know ANYTHING about these, thats why i have one that is not enough power.

+1 on 24 Volt 80 lb, you might look at maxxum over fortrex save you some money, both good Minn Kota products, have had both.

I may have said price isnt a big deal, but this just went from thinking i was gonna pay $400, to now $1000-$1200. Is there really a $600 difference from a 70-80? I only plan to keep this boat for another year, and then im selling it as is (taking the hds-7 off) but ill keep the TM on it.

Then I would deal with what I had for another year and make sure the next boat had the proper equipment. Upgrades are way to pricy to do for a year worth use. I just updated a lot of items on my boat but plan on using her for another 5 plus years.

Thats not an option. Not being able to fish in 10+ mph winds in texas is not acceptable.

I'm pretty sure I have like a 36lb thrust. Something to power an inflatable raft.

What he said. I've never heard anyone say their TM was too much for their boat. Not possible.

The best advise advise that you received was to buy a used trolling motor and put it on. Yes you can do out yourself but it is possible that you might have to run heavier gauge writes to it.

I understand you not liking used but the boat is used and you only want to keep it a year. Why not get more bang for your buck and enjoy the year of fishing and it might make the boat easier to sell in the future. An experienced person will see out is under powered and take that into consideration when looking at your boat to buy.

It isn't all about power. A 24v or 36v system will not only provide more power but will give you a full days worth of battery power to fish. You cheap out and go with a small 12v TM then you will find you will start having low batteries and cut your fishing days down to partial days.