Exactly..... thats what you should do. Just get any motor and get it goin

I wont be surprise if you ask any computer programmer for suggestions ...
....he would suggest ... design it on computer and done with it no need for
motor worries. :-)

Thanks for all the comments

It's interesting: you talk to the boat people, they suggest troller
motors, talk to model engineers, they suggest 3 phase motors, talk to
robotic engineers they talk about using somekind of scooter/electric wheel
chair, talk to model submariners they suggest motors for bikes. There is
no common source shard by any of them. So I have decided why not add
another possilbility of my own?

10 1/4Hp motors, all sharing same shaft.
To control, step the voltage up/down. So have 8 6V batteries, them connect
them in such a way, so that the draw on each battery is the same. Very
cheap, and should work. And no complex controllers to interface. Only
problem is that isn't that efficient.

Michael