Bill, congrats on the new TJ. I purchased a new 19' luxor with a 350 Chev in Sept. Practice, practice, practice is the word of the day. You must be under power to have any control while steering. Pumping the throttle is our friend. It also takes getting used to steering just the opposite while in reverse. As far as mounting a cooler, there is a brace under the swim deck that runs parallel to the transom. I drilled through it parallel with the ground and used stainless eyebolts. I use ratcheting hold down straps with hooks on both ends, one end in the eyebolt and the other on the cooler handle. Enjoy