Chad I have the motor that came with the boat it's a motor guide foot operated 46lb thrust 12 volt with 5 speed settings, I use it for many hours on the water each trip with no issue's. It is hard to say what will work best as some people like foot operated and some like hand operated, IMHO if you have a flat deck up front I would go with the Foot operated type. as far as the thrust 46 moves my boat through the water really well, if I had to buy a new one I would upgrade to a little more thrust for the extra power to cut through the underwater grass.
I hope this helps,