I've been using the shoal cut ssg blades on my raft for 8 years or so. I like them a lot. They get a lot of abuse and still are holding up well. I do feel they have slightly more bite than traditional blade shape. I'd buy em again. I own my raft for the same reasons you listed. I wanted to fish upper wynoochee and upper Kalama without destroying a drift boat bottom. It's too bad fishing sucks anymore. The first time I fished the Kalama for summers I was blown away at seeing 50-100 chrome summers in the river a day. Now it seems your lucky if you happen upon one of those big pods.