"katysails" wrote in message ...
OZ asked:
How long do the shafts last?

I lived right smack dab between the Mississippi and the Merrimac for
three years...the Mississippi is a muddy, muddy river and if you don't
service your engine continuously, it will go shot quite quickly. People
sail up north of St Louis and I've heard that sailboat engines suffer,
too. Running the Mississippi through your engine is like pouring mud
through a fine sieve.


Just keep a few spare impellers on board and clean your strainers
often.
Better on your engines than heavy salt. Ive never been further north
than New Orleans and Im sure it saltier and clearer in the delta
region due to tidal effects.

Oz as far as shafts go-- Im assuming your talking about propeller
shafts.

They last longer than the propellers unless you hit something real
hard like a submerged oak stump. Katy failed to mention that not only
is it muddy but its full of stuff, like trees, logs, weeds, sunken
everythings, traps....ect...

And when some town washes out upriver it can get real interesting what
you see floating out.

It would be a great trip to sail down from St louis, sailing upstream
is on most boats out of the question.

Joe