Thomas Ivacko wrote:
: 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.

What kind of boating do you want to do? Fishing, cruising, water skiing or??
That would help us help you determine the best boat. Below you mention aluminum
boats and they would be good for fishing and would have little draft but if
you're gonna do water skiing, the answer may be different (yes, you can water
ski behind some aluminum boats, yada yada).

: 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.

You probably don't want a big, heavy Deep-V boat. If a wake comes by, it
may bottom out and cause abrasion. You may also want to check in to those
"floating boat elevator" thingies to get the boat outta the water when
docked for long periods (it'd definitely protect the boat). Check
out West Marine catalog for this (and others).

: 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?

It'd probably work but again, keep the boat size light and below 18 ft. or
so. It's just not what floats in calm water but what sinks below when
in boat wakes washed ashore, etc.

: 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?
2 stroke is lighter than a 4 and you wouldn't heat up gimbal drives when running
the motor at a high level of tilt when going in and out. Actually, a jet
boat would be better for shallow water but as mentioned in a previous
posting here, they are less efficient and harder to maneuver.

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

Yes. However Deep V hulls handle mostly better in rough water. Is
the water rough where you are?

: 4. I'd prefer a fiberglass boat, but would I be much better off with
: aluminum?
Aluminum hulls are lighter weight and will draft less. Again, is it for
fishing or something else? There are some pretty nice aluminum jet boats
designed for shallow water.

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

Many, many. Try checking out Trailer Boats Magazine or their online site.

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

Tell us what type of boating you're interested in, how rough the water is.
That'd help.

barry