I'm not sure what kind of 10 footer you have but I looked at the specs for a Lowe 1032. Depending on what you want to do, you may be able to do some things with the boat you've got. The specs for the Lowe 1032 are a max of 3hp and max weight load of 275# with a max person weight of 180#. The spec sheet rates this as a 2 person boat but it would have to be 2 pretty skinny guys. Seems like you should assume it is a 1 person boat or a 1 adult and 1 little kid boat. The difference between the max weight and max person weight is about 95#. The trick will be how to prioritize how you want to use the 95#. I looked at 2.5 - 3.5 hp outboards. They weigh between 30-40# so let's call it 35#. Motors that small have integral tanks so the weight of a quarter to third of a gallon of fuel is minimal. You'll want a gas can in the boat of course and I think gas weighs about 8#/gal. I couldn't seem to find the weight of a trolling motor, but a 30# thrust would probably be fine for your boat. I'm guessing the weight at maybe 15#. A group 22, 850 amp battery weighs in at 38# so the combination of battery and trolling motor weigh as much as a small outboard. You're most likely going to have to pick one or the other, not both. You should be able to add the swivel seat(s) depending on if you get the molded plastic ones or the big padded ones. You can see when you add all the other things up like a paddle, anchor, lots of lunch, tackle, life vests that you don't have a lot more to work with. Carpet and deck? Probably too small and unstable for too much standing up. You'll have to make all those choices but my advice is don't stress about it. If it were me, I'd probably go for the electric trolling motor and when you sell this boat and upgrade, keep the trolling motor so you don't have to get one for the next boat. If you get a 2.5-3.5 gas motor now, you'll surely want a bigger one for a bigger boat later. Do some basic things and have some fun. If you are a new boater, use this one to learn from and figure out what you really want to do with the next one. I bought too small at first too and scaled back what I wanted. It's not the end of the world. Do a good job of whatever you do to it to make it easier to sell later. Or, if you're like many here, you'll keep your 10 footer for little ponds or electric only lakes and you'll get a second bigger boat! Anyway, good luck. Let's have some pics too along the way.
