HELP with thesis project

I am an industrial design student and am currently working on my thesis project. I have chosen to design a bass fishing boat due to the fact that I am an angler, however I do not have an extreme amount of knowledge in the areas of propulsion and hull design and wish to gain some.

My Criteria: The vessel that I wish to design should be no longer than 14 feet. The vessel is meant to travel in small rivers/lakes with hazards of stumps and large amounts of weeds, but also be friendly to aquatic life.

Hull: I am hoping to have a hull that is stable enough for one to stand up and fish on. This hull must be able to plane out quickly with a minimal amount of force. I also would like the hull to be able to remain stable in about 2 ft of chop while not having a large amount of draft.

Propulsion: This is a large dilemma in my research, I wish to have a secondary/slow propulsion (most likely electric) that goes no deeper than the draft of the hull. As the primary source of propulsion I would like to have something that is ecologically friendly, but provides the power needed. So far what I feel I will go with is an impellor driven outboard. I would consider a surface drive, but do not want the user to have to stand to steer the vessel or have this large shaft trailing the vessel (any suggestions here). The secondary may be impellor to, but the problem than becomes clogging.

Any suggestions would be great. Pictures, diagrams, and web sites are even better.

 

Surface drives are a diverse breed and it would be unfair to rule them out based on the crude "long-tail" type you appear to be thinking of.
Shallow draught and low risk of damage in stumps/rocks/deadheads is a hallmark of the waterjet drive. Proper inboard ones are a lot more efficient than the converted-outboard variety. But in a 14-footer you're unlikely to need as much power as most jets and surface drives are meant for; outboards are by far the dominant choice in boats this size.
Try browsing the "Propulsion" section of the Gallery on here for out-of-the-norm drive systems.
You'll want some good boat design books. Everyone has their favourites and I'm sure some of the NA's on here will chime in with theirs shortly.
You have set a challenging problem for yourself with a lot of apparently conflicting requirements that will require innovation and lots of research to reconcile. Best of luck.

 

Check out the recent (September) edition of "Wooden Boat." The canabalized a jet ski for the motor and jet unit and put into a Downeast Lobster boat that is considerably larger than 14 ft. - and it planes out. Perhaps an economical way to see your thesis through ?????