Wit45cal, I understand the getting on plane and staying there thing. By the way did you have two people in your boat that were wearing orange lifevests? I myself ran almost all the way to Blue Creek, but turned around as it was getting close to dark. I don't think that you will be taking your boat in some of the rivers that I take mine, like the Nisqually or Satsop. During periods of low water, they can get very tricky and some of the logjams are very "hairy" to navigate at times. Sometimes I wish I had a larger boat and then there are times (mostly) that mine is just right. If I ever have to replace my Yamaha it will be with one that is a 150 HP instead of 115. During the summer months I spend much of my time fishing for Kings right in front of Gig Harbor, so I change my lower unit from Jet to Propeller. This saves much fuel and brings my boat speed back up to around 53mph, as well as increased manuverability. I know that inboard jets are far better in that catagory, but I also have been in my buddys 21 ft fishing for sturgeon in the Naselle estuary and when we came into a bunch of eelgrass, I was the one with the neoprene waders that had to get out and rake out the weeds before we would go anywhere. With my outboard jet, I can raise it and clean it out while in the boat.
Maybe you have one of the grates that self-clean, I have seen those.
My boat is a windshield model 18 ft Formula Vee Alumaweld with a Minkota electric motor, a Mercury 8 Hp and of course the Yamaha.
See ya on the river. E-mail me a picture of your boat if you have one and I can do likewise.

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Steve Ng....The FishNg1
99 F-350 4x4 SD, 18ft Alumaweld Formula Vee Sled, 115 Yamaha.