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You can probably get some more speed out of that trolling motor with a model airplane propeller. They come in a wide range of sizes. If you find a size you like, you can copy it in carbon fiber and add a good hub fairing. A 10" X 3" might be a reasonable place to start comparisons. Mind your amperage if you go for more pitch. I have a friend who uses his on a canoe - maybe we'll experiment next summer.
Wide, shallow-dipping paddle wheels have done pretty well in the European HPV boat races. In shallow water, they can be fine, but less so in waves. If I were going back into Human Power boat drives, I'd improve on the Hobie Mirage system. A drop-in unit could get your legs to operate the equivalent of a whale's pectoral fins. They would shed weed and even work while grounding. Prop units have high parasitic drag during the part of the pedal stroke where the fin would be turning at the end of the strokes, so that is a nice bit of serendipity. The fastest pedal boats look like Olympic shells, and can cover eight miles in about an hour, at racing effort.
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