Troy, we just got back from a trout fishing trip in the river at Broken Bow and in some areas I would guess there was less than 1' deep.
Look at this video at the 52 second mark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD6OQhCeXqs and you can see a flutter peddle. That's what I did over the shallows. I was going shallower than my buddies with the paddle kayaks because they didn't like using their paddles as push polls.
That brings up another point, the PA is so wide I'm comfortable standing. I don't mind being in tight spaces in the cockpit but I'm now spoiled on the room I have.
The Mirage drive has a lot of torque so my PA 14 feels like a regular Kayak on the water but I don't think most kayakers can keep up with the distance or speed of any of the peddle drive kayaks.
During a small tournament last week I went into some marsh area and the Mirage drive got some weeds caught up in it so I tied them in the up position and just used my paddle. The weeds were thick but I could stand in my kayak and cast over them into the clear pools beyond.
I have had mine about a month but I did price things out. The repair parts are cheap. New blades and rods would be around $70 or so if I remember. Don't quote me, I just saw the parts are cheap and walked away with a smile. I was expecting hundreds of dollars.
I sometimes feel bad for my buddies when we are headed out and I'm peddling with my legs while baiting my line and they have to wait till they stop or have everything ready beforehand. There's been times I've decided to change locations and baits so I head out and start changing my bait on the way.
Plenty of storage.
If it's a 2015 it will have a separate skeg but the earlier models (not sure about what year they stopped) had something different. But the skeg and rudder are spring loaded so they will spring up without damage if you bottom out; which I've never done.
If you're looking at a new one Mariner Sails in Dallas had some in stock but sounds like you're looking at buying one from a local.
The hull has hard points installed already for anchor trolleys and such.
Cons: I wouldn't want to use it for long shallow water long distance camping along a river where you'd have to pull it along the shore or through the forest...it's a pig on land.
The rudder is a pain, but so are paddle rudders, because you are always tweaking it. With a regular kayak you can adjust with paddle strokes so it's not as noticeable.
Tim