I have a 32lb minn kota for the 12 ft canoe. In high gear the damn thing goes about 5 miles per hour with 2 people and gear. The best place I found for a battery is Wally world. They have the ENERGIZER brand, for about a 100 bucks. Just make sure you get the 27 series dc (deep cycle) and not the multi purpose ones. There used for starting battery. I would reccomend a battery box as well. The most important thing is the charger you use for charging. 2 amp trickle with 10 amp quick charge and auto shut off so you dont over charge. You should always charge it up immediately after use the worst thing you can do is leave your battery dead for any lenght of time. Stay away from INTERSTATE. IMHO there junk, I have used them several times and have never got more than 2 seasons out of them. If you use your battery alot check the levels mid season and top up if required with distilled water only, you can buy it at the drug store for about 1.50 a gallon. Do not use tap water. Bring an old battery with you when you go to purchase at wally world and they will give you 10 bucks off your new one. I have 4 of these batteries in my 26 footer and 3 in my bass boat and have no issues at all with these batteries. Hope this helps you out. Cheers