I don’t know how a Riverboat ever made it up the Cahaba north of Hwy 80. I have to get out of my kayak if I take the wrong channel. Why it would be more shallow now I don’t know. It had to have been a small Riverboat, but large enough to hold cargo and make the trip worthwhile. My ole man said before they damned the Alabama you had to really know the river or you would run a ground in a small boat, or hit the rock bars that were just beneath the surface. The river was MUCH different pre 1960’s.
Sorry to highjack the thread but I think the Op got good information several days ago to make his decision.
There is a book written by a Jax State professor about the history of riverboat travel on the rivers. They did have a smaller model boat for the Cahaba, but they could go to Centreville. We can't imagine what the rivers looked like prior to all the forestland being turned into cotton fields. I think the rivers stabilized somewhat after the marginal farmland went back into woods, but then clear-cutting came along and erosion is back to as bad as ever.
Here's the book if anyone is interested. If you spend any time on the rivers of central and south AL, I think you would enjoy learning about the history of them. There are some fascinating stories about terrible wrecks and daring trips. If you look around you can probably find a cheap copy.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rivers-of-history-harvey-h-jackson-iii/1110974695
