I went offline almost immediately after joining and didn't get a change to post any pics or answer any questions. Sorry about that everyone.
The 24 volt trolling motor is wired to 2 dedicated batteries that I have in a Rubbermaid 8 gallon ActionPacker storage box ($14 from WalMart).
Two batteries fit perfectly in the box, and it's heavy duty so it stands up to the beating on the boat. Since space is limited, I wanted to stand on the box without having to worry about the top caving in, so I cut three pieces of wood that measure 2 x 2 x 6 and laid the wood lengthwise across the top of the batteries to fill the gap between the batteries and lid. It works.
Securing the battery box: Similar to kits you can buy that secure a large cooler to a deck, I cut four rectangular pieces of starboard and screwed them into the deck; one on each end and two in the front. The rear of the box is pushed up against the front storage area so it didn't need any. To strap the battery box to the deck, I screwed 1 eye-hook into the deck on each end of the box and cliped an adjustable strap to the eye-hooks. It never moves.
Wiring: I mounted my trolling motor to the bow and ran the wiring through a small hole I drilled just behind the bow light. I then ran the wiring through factory pvc conduit running along the side of the boat to a small hole I drilled on the side of the boat. With a lot of luck and a lot of patience, I drilled a small hole through the side of the boat and through the pvc conduit, fished the wire through using a plumbers snake, then fastened the wire to the deck as it ran from the side into a small hole on the side of the battery box. I covered the hole on the side of the boat with a small clamshell (SS plate).
It works fine and I didn't have to give up any room for the batteries because it's strong enough that I can sit and stand on it. I would do the same even if had a 12 volt motor, and just use the second battery as a back up. Most of the time the 67lb thrust 24 volt is overkill for my 17' CC, but there have been times in fast current rips and high winds where I was glad to have it.
Pirate Pete, you still in the Cape? Still on the boards?