Howdy - I'm a newbie but I'm trying to be a responsible poster (I've lurked
for a
few days, searched last few months worth of posts, searched old FAQs, etc.)
....

I have almost (but not quite) zero boating experience, but I'm starting to
plan to get
into boating hopefully next summer with a first boat purchase. I'm planning
to use the
fall/winter/spring to education myself.

Here's my first issue: the place I'd be docking is quite shallow, probably
tends to
have ~ 22 - 24" of depth by a typical August. I might be able to extend the
dock a
bit, but it'd still be quite shallow and I'd rather not add anymore dock.
I'll probably
be looking to get a bowrider of some kind, in the 16-19' range. So ... my
questions:

1. If a particular boat model lists a minimum draft of say, 18" (drive up),
would that
be do-able in my situation? Assuming the boat would have a power trim
capability on
an outboard motor, would it be feasible to get in/out with the prop just
barely underwater?

2. I'm guessing motor weight would be important to consider? If so, is it
correct
that an outboard would tend to be better than an I/O? And a 2-stroke would
be lighter
than a 4?

3. Would a deep-V hull be worse than a less-deep V hull?

4. I'd prefer a fiberglass boat, but would I be much better off with
aluminum?

5. Are there any particular boat makes/models that would be particularly
good for
my situation?

6. Finally, anything else I'm missing, I should be thinking about?

Thanks very much for any help or ideas.

-Tom