vw jonboat fan boat

Hello - I just had a few questions for someone and any help would be appreciated!

I realize this is 2 wrongs - jon boat is not the best hull and a vw engine has a lot to be desired. Years ago I built a 14x36" jon with a tired vw1500 - Askey 48" 28pitch prop- then I bought a 11x6 airboat hull and put the the 1500 on it. I run narrow, shallow, windy log infested rivers and the airboat hull drifted to much. I needed something that tracked better so I fiber glassed ribs onto the bottom similar to a jon boat and that helped. Both of these boats did what I needed and planed out 2 people. I wanted something faster so I built a fresh beefed up buick v6 with a new askey prop. This was just too big for the rivers I ran. It was very fast and planed great but rarely could I open it up, it didn't work well for my application. I wish I could run something bigger but I can't.

I have a strong vw 1600 and am putting it on a 16x48" 70" beam jon boat. Gross weight including 2 passengers should be right at 1000lbs. I figure with a 16' boat I will have some room to move the bench seat forward or back to get the weight in the right place? This will be a direct drive off the flywheel side. I am checking into props and one prop manufacturer recommended a 62" 24 pitch ...does 62" sounds big for a vw direct? The old props I ran were 48" 28 pitch...this was 30 years ago!
Any recommendation for prop manufacturers? And should I use wood for a direct drive vw ....thought I read somewhere that I should...

Thanks!!

I am working with a 1600 vw also.
A Catamaran al hull 11'6" x 7' 2"
I'm trying a 64" wood two blade 32 pitch
And a 59" 3 blade with #10 pitch blocks.
About all mine will turn

Nothing wrong with a jonboat you can get between obsticals and steer exactly where you need to go...Some areas of the Susquehanna here will only be traveled by a narrow airjon..... It depends on what your preference to materials is for props...Arrowprop seems to be a favorite for wood...warp drive, and IVO are common composite props...