The problem with the trolling plate is you have to be smart enough to pull the release when you want to power the motor up and go. I was not always that smart and have bent the plate out a bit on more than one occasion. Going in reverse fast doesn't fix it. Now it doesn't look that cool to power up with buckets or sea anchors still in the water either but it is not quite as noticable. I ended up with the sea anchors, one on each side. You can adjust the size of the hole in the bottom of the sea anchor and thereby adjust your speed. With the sea anchors, when you are done using them, you can roll them up and they are out of the way. The best thing to do is save up for the trolling motor.