Way2slow

If the tanks are subject to much of a temp change, I would leave the vent open. I've seen plastic tanks look like a basket ball when hot, let the pressure off so it goes back to normal and it looks like a prune when it gets cool. I've had tanks crack with the vent closed. I take mine out of the boat, store it in a cool place and leave the vent open. If I don't plan to use it for a while, I dump the gas into a can and use it in the lawn mower, I don't leave gas in my tanks over one - two months.

What are you going to tow it with? Very much of a glass boat will be a lot harder to tow than an aluminum. Aluminum's are going to be cheaper all the way around to operate but are not much in the ride department. Glass boats generally ride much better but you have to be very careful when buying an older glass boat, they have a tendency to have a lot of hidden rot, some to the point the boat is really just junk and completely unsafe. On that budget, I would look for a 15' - 16', 80's model Fisher, Monark, or one of the other similar style boats with a 25 - 40 hp motor. Shopping around you can find these in fairly good shape for $2,500 or less.

The most bang for the buck in a battery is going to be one that has caps, and you have to maintain, in a quality name brand. They will have the largest available amp hour capacity for a given group size. Amp hour capacity or reserves minutes if amp hour is not stated, determines run time for any given load so, while an AGM may cost two or three times the cost of a battery you have to add water, if they are both the same capacity, the AGM will not last any longer with the same load. The AGM's are a few pounds lighter, so having to constantly take it in and out of a canoe, might make a difference. A group 31 in any kind of battery is going to get real old constantly lifting and carrying that thing. Having to constantly lift the thing, I would probably lean toward the group 24. With your maximizer, you will get much longer run times than the standard TM and that canoe is going to push pretty easy, just don't do a lot of running over half speed until you get a feeling for how long it will run. 55# of thrust is like an outboard on a canoe.

Figured I would comment here if it's ok. I've always found the torque tabs on the motor do very little at low speeds. Too much hull drag for that little tab to compensate for. They are primarly to zero the torque out at full plane when the boats at/near max speed and properly trimed out. Boats leaning and pulling hard left or right has more to do with weight balance and motor setup than anything else. Ever notice how a boat can be leaning or pulling hard to one side at very slow speeds or coming out of the hole or steering be extremely hard in one direction but start trimming up and that lean or hard pull starts going away. Also how when a boat wants to lean left, how it's always worse with a passenger than when without. This is caused by hull drag.