I can surely see the need for power to out maneuver bad currents/bad winds/bad seas. A minnkota 30 probably won't measure up in such situation. For calm waters, though, it'll get the job done. But after a few hours, the battery's going to run out. That said, last year I'd installed a pair of oarlocks on the coamings, and made a portable wooden bench, to fit across the seats, snug up close to the companionway. This is on an M15. I also took along a pair of 10' composite 2 part oars, which i'd stored in the no man's land underneath the cockpit area. Hauled the boat down to Raystown Lake, PA, in early October for a 5-day cruise. On day 2, got the oars in place, for a test run, and found that I couldn't angle the oars down into the water far enough. So much for that idea. When I got back I ordered a pair of rotatable oar locks. Hoping that solves the problem. The only remaining question is whether there'll be sufficient leverage to be able to apply to the oars, if the beam to oar length ratio is too low. If I can get 2 knots in calm waters, that's plenty, and won't have to panic when the minnkota battery runs out of juice. As to all the creature comforts issue while on a cruise, well, sure, there's benefits, obviously, to having them. Personally tho, I can use to suffer some for a few days; it's all part of getting out there, for me. And less weight. The lighter the boat, the more likely it's going to sail in light winds, and the less I'm going to need to rely on oars or minnkota. I took out the cushions that go in the cabin. It allows for more headroom, and yep, less weight. The boat came with a propane powered Lehr. Haven't used it yet. It must be 50 lbs. For me, if the thing hanging off the transom, is to heavy that it requires me to sit farther up toward the companionway just to keep the boat balanced, then the thing hanging off the transom needs to go. But this is for an M15. It may not be an issue on an M17. Cheers