wrote in message
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Due to my requirements of shallow draft, light weight and relatively
plush interior, I find myself looking into jet boats as a likely
purchase. My questions are as follows:

Does "jet boat" mean "jet drive" and what exactly does jet drive mean?

A jet drive is pumps water out of a nozzel using an impellor as opposed to a
propellor.

Jet drives are hooked up to traditional outboards (Outboard Jet Corp.),
special adapted 2 stroke jets (Merc. Sport Jet) and big V-4, V-6 or V-8
marinized automobile engines (e.g. Hamilton, Berkely, Kodiak, etc.).

Is a jet drive fairly straightforward in maintainability? Can marine
mechanics in a podunk Florida fishing village work on these?

My opinion is that jet drives are much simpler than traditional I/O
outdrives or prop lower units. I believe, as a non-mechanic, that any
decent mechanic would be able to service and repair a jet drive with a shop
manual and decent wrenching skills.

Living on a large sound in the Gulf, just how much wave action can
this boat take before it becomes unsafe?

A Jet motor , whether inboard or outboard, can be put on any hull. I've
seen very many quite large and seaworthy boats with inboard jets. I have
also seen many that are in fiberglass sport boats that are suitable for more
lake or small wave activities. Many are installed on flat bottomed or low
deadrise river boats.

So, it all depends on the hull!!

Thanks in advance for any knowledge you have of this. It is MUCH
appreciated.

Good luck and have fun. I've owned V8 inboard jets and outboard jets on
aluminum riverboats. For their purpose, they can't be beat, and as I said,
I think they're much simpler than I/OF and outboard prop drives. But they
can be much less efficient, although the Merc sport jet is pretty efficient
and my V8 was pretty efficient too.