I'm trying to make a decision on what type of motor I need or want and nobody locally has much experience to rely on. I'm on Broad River in SC and currently using a 9.9 outboard but it is on its last legs and I want to replace it. The parts of the river I run have a pretty even mix of rocky shoals, large boulders and sand bars. Not much mud on the bottom mostly rock/gravel and sand. I have to travel lots of shallow water to get where I want to go. What would be most suitable surface drive, long tail, jet( have limited experience with one and not impressed) or stick with outboard?

How big is the boat? J jet would probably be best for hard bottom rocky rivers, but not as good in areas with weeds to clog the intake. Keep in mind that if you go jet, you lose efficiency over a direct drive - maybe 20% or 30%.

A tunnel hull rig with a jet might work well for you...

Agreed ^