Direct Drives on the Mississippi River????

[lagemann88]

I am a new member to planetnautique and I am hoping to gain some clarity on a question that I have. What is the opinion of running direct drive boats on the Mississippi River? I live North of St.Louis and everyone has inboard/outboards or outboards. My buddies and I ski/wakeboard 2-3 times a week and I was wanting to step up and buy an older Ski Nautique but am weary because I have never seen any direct drive boats in our area. We have pools of water that are very calm, not even a ripple on the weekdays. The trash (logs and random rubbish) is a concern at times but to date has never been a problem. I have a dock but would most likely trailer it out each time or invest in a lift. Opinions or person experiences would be greatly appreciated.

[slidin_out]

Watch the depth and watch for logs. Other than that not much else you can do when you ride in rivers. We ride in one 3-4 days a week and we know the depths and most of the underwater stump fields well. Now I've been through 2 props in about 5-6 years so just expect to hit a submerged log or stump at some point. You might not ever hit one but don't be shocked if you do. Just keep a spare prop on hand.

[lagemann88]

Thanks, I appreciate the input. Good advice on the extra prop. The Mississippi is no place to be caught unprepared.