The minn kota will push your boat around the dock in calm conditions just fine. It doesn't take much power to just move the boat when there are no adverse factors. However with any kind of breeze, or in open water, you will want considerably more power, yeah. Go for the biggest motor you can find, if you want to use a trolling motor. There are proper electric outboards rated at 5kw that would be a much better choice, though a bit more pricey. The bigger Torqueedo units would work for you, too. You could also build a 5kw outboard using the lower unit from one with an engine that is no longer serviceable, using something like a ME0201014201 or ME0907 motor and a Kelly controller, for a fairly robust setup with around 6hp available on a 48v bank. The McGregor should be a fairly easy boat to push and 5kw should be sufficient in most circumstances. However, a 10 or 12kw motor would only cost a few hundred more for motor and bigger controller, and not use significantly more power at a given output power level than a 5kw setup. So it is worth considering to go with something like a ME0913 or similar for the top end of an electric outboard. YMMV as I personally have not built any electric outboards but I am familiar with these Motenergy motors and use them for inboard propulsion on my boat.
48v is a good system for any boat under 30 feet, in general. Place your batteries on either side of your centerboard, is my suggestion. Anyway, near the center of the boat. Do not orient them fore and aft. When the boat is heeling, part of the plates will be high and dry. Orient them side to side. Remember that your batteries are composed of 6 individual cells, or 3 if you use 6v batteries. The cell orientation is more important than the complete battery orientation, in regard to electrolyte level. Since the boat is so light, I think I would strongly consider a LiFeP04 bank. There are many reasons to go with Lithium over Lead/Acid, one of which is weight. I use Lead on my boat but it is much heavier, and the 700lb of batteries doesn't make much difference. I am thinking especially of when your boat is on a trailer. I think Lithium is really the way to go for a McG.
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