I did a good bit of research into it a few years back and decided I just didn't have enough good river water available to justify a special boat. If I lived where you do, I might have decided differently. I would want a 16 to 17' boat with probably a 60 HP motor. A 60 HP jet outboard is gonna run about like a 40 HP prop boat, or at least that is what they claimed.
If you were only gonna use it on that stretch of the Cahaba, a flat bottom would likely work as well as a tunnel hull. A different hull style would be more versatile for other places, but a flat bottom would be great on the Cahaba. There's not any rough water and nothing is better than a flat bottom in shallow water.
I was certainly going with stick steering, and a power pedestal on the front. A bass style boat would work,; the stick is just my preference, especially for a river boat. I had talked to these folks about building me a boat, maybe this model:
https://www.xtremeboats.com/boats/river-skiff/They have another model I was also considering, and was still trying to decide if I wanted jet or prop. I happened to find a used prop boat and bought it, so I dropped the jet boat idea. Good luck deciding!
