New to this arena and would appreciate your insight.

My house backs up to marshland that is tidal in Florida. About 500 feet through the marsh I can reach the intercoastal waterway.

I'd like to put together a boat that can hunt ducks/fish and be able to move the best at low tide. There are definately logs and stumps in the marsh, but I suspect I'll be able to discover a satisfactory path after a few attempts. Once in the intercoastal I may travel 5-10 miles to hunt. I'm going to launch the boat from my backyard with a golf cart (boat cant be too heavy)

I'm looking at an alumacraft 1542 (210 lbs) with a 23 hp beavertail long tail motor. I suspect the trips will generally be two adults for hunting. Does this seem like a reasonable set up, or should I be looking to buy a different set up. Completely new to this. Thanks

Depends on how fast you want to go and in the intercoastal it's going to suck with that long tail. If you aren't making a very long run and you just want to put around you will be alright but if I were you and it was in my budget I would look into a surface drive.

Go 16 ft with the longtail, or a bit wider with a surface drive. 1644 w/lt, or 1546-48 w/sd. What you listed would be fine for your expectations, but once you get to deeper water, the extra lift will let it run higher, and be a tad more stable. That's a long run with a longtail, but it'll do the job. Figure your budget, and go from there.

Longtails are great machines and cost effective but they're a workout. I would try finding someone around you with a Longtail setup that you can try so you know what you're getting into beforehand.

Where are you at in Florida?