On Thu, 9 Jul 2020 13:41:16 -0700 (PDT), True North
wrote:

This year the dealer told me my model is a bit wider to accommodate a console with more comfortable seating. Grrrrr ... that would have been the perfect choice for me. I get tired on longer runs holding the tiller handle, especially when I
lean forward to get up on plane with the Mercury 6hp. GPS says I can get up to 14.5 mph.

Sounds about like my old 12' Jon boat. I had a 7.5 on it and an
extension on the tiller so it wasn't horrible to hold on to. I was
probably going about that fast too, maybe even a little more. That was
150% of the recommended HP for that boat and I had a hard time finding
a prop that had enough pitch to really wring it out.
I was like Wayne tho, exploring every little hole in the mangroves in
the Estero bay. It is a great way to get some local knowledge and if
you do get stuck, you can drag the boat back into deeper water pretty
easy.
I had an old office chair mounted as low in the boat as I could get it
and it was a pretty good ride.