I installed a sidepower on mine about 6yrs ago. Unit has been very reliable. Can't remember model/hp, but it was 2nd from largest for the 8" tube. That way if I need to upgrade, tube needs no change.
Installing the tube is nothing special- The j-tip steel rod is key. I went a step further and made a J-type jig that held a die grinder with carbide tip. That way as I swept it around, I was actually doing the cutting with tip parallel to axis. I did not cut all the way through, keeping some material intact to hold jig in place. Made for a clean hole with minimal grinding to fit tube. Your eye really plays tricks on you when viewing the various curves. Trust the jig!!!!
Another trick was to transfer measurments from outside to inside hull or vs versa- Not easily done without drilling holes!! Came up with a trick: Got a big strong magnet and positioned on hull skin. Got some little needle bearings and sprinkled them on other side of skin. They stuck at the magnet location. Now you know where you are both in and out.
Mount thruster as low and as far fwd as you can. Mine is a planing hull, so I had a additional complication as I wanted thruster above running WL. Not really necessary in hindsight, as if faired well the hole does not present much drag. Anyway, tube ended up right on top of keel so I could go no lower.
Put battery right next to unit. 24v much better for larger units. I use 12v, and have a charge link via 10ga wire back to house batt. I installed a relay in the charge link so it goes open circuit when thruster motor runs. That keeps from overloading charge link and allows a light cable run. 20a breaker does not trip. There is no other charge source for the batt, super simple and it works.
If you use a series/parallel solenoid, you can run your 24v thruster and charge from a 12v source.
I would not go hydraulic on a smaller recreational boat. Too much complication and mess. If you find yourself over running your batts, you can always upsize batts.
I run a basic grp 24 starting batt. It's cheap, light, but only lasts about 3yrs before it starts losing grunt. May try a deep cycle next.