river boat question

[cowboy9from0hell]

im looking to buy a boat for the river. i plan on getting a alumacraft 1648 mv ncs. my question for all is what motor to get. im debating on a yamaha 40/30 jet or a mercury 30/25 jet or am i better off going with a 30 or 35 hp prop motor with a jack plate? ive been told to stay away from yamaha but some people told me to go with yamaha jets. or would i be beeter off to get a 1448mv and put a mercury 30/25 jet on that? thank you for all your help. 

[cowboy9from0hell]

is their a big difference between a 30/25 jet and a 40/30 jet for speed/mph? i was told that their is a 2-3 mph diofference.

[RushFan]

what river and what are the characteristics of the river?  (Depth, tidal, rock grass)

[cowboy9from0hell]

the susquahana river. in berwick/bloomsburg. in the late spring,summer, and early fall it averages about 2-3 feet deep give or take. i was thinking about getting a new sea ark 1448 mod v with a new yamaha 40/30 jet but im not sure how well  it will plane out?

[RushFan]

I'm thinking that river has lots of rocks and grass is not very thick.  Given that it's shallow a jet drive probably the way to go.  I used to fish the South Fork of the Shenandoah and a prop didn't last long! Heavy grass can cause issues with the intake.
Hopefully this helps.