Direct Drive boats in Shallow water - a bad or very very bad idea?

[Carso]

Does anyone have experince running a direct drive 17 to 20 foot ski/wakeboard boat in a "shallow" lake?

I am looking into the possiblitly of getting an older direct drive boat to share with a friend. The friend though has a cabin on a small lake that has lots of shallow areas. We took our old Invader with an outboard there and dug up sand/mud on a daily basis while pulling kids around on a tube. Also the beach infront of his cabin where we would pull the boat up to moor on a weight in about 2 feet of water is very gradual and shallow.

Would this be a very bad place to have a direct drive? I had read that direct drives are not all that bad in shallow water as often the hull shape keeps them fairly high in the water unless weighed down - don't know if this might be true or not though.

Thanks much for your time.

 

[bigskiohio]

Re: Direct Drive boats in Shallow water - a bad or very very bad idea?

i have a i/o and it needs 2ft of water min. a friend says his ski natique drafts in 15" so

 

[Carso]

Re: Direct Drive boats in Shallow water - a bad or very very bad idea?

So when he says it "drafts" in that amount - does that mean that this is what is needed to clear the hull? - or the hull and prop?
Thanks

 

[swatkinz]

Re: Direct Drive boats in Shallow water - a bad or very very bad idea?

I have owned 3 direct drives and 2 vdrives within the last 15 years. Both can almost always run in shallower water than an I/O. The advantages of the DD or VD vs. the I/O will be obvious as soon as you sit behind the wheel. For watersports, it just doesn't get any better. A DD may feel a little cluttered especially if its a closed bow DD because of the engine location. Believe me though its worth it. With your budget, you should be able to find a number of good boats. The Sport Nautique by Correct Craft and the Prostar 205 are both open bow direct drives that can be found within your range. Regarding your other post with the ski pylon..you can tie off on the stern of the boat. Regarding the above referenced Vdrive, it will give you more room and be more family friendly while giving exceptional handling and towing capability. It may ride just a little heavier in the back but it still should draw less water than an I/O

 

[swatkinz]

Re: Direct Drive boats in Shallow water - a bad or very very bad idea?

oh yeah...forgot to add in previous post. These boats are world class watersport boats. Pro skiers often train on shallow man-made private lakes that can be 6ft. deep or less. I have skied numerous times through a slalom course behind a direct drive boat in waste deep water.