Abstract: An aquatic vegetation cutter for clearing dense aquatic vegetation from waterways uses a drive coupling and bearing assembly that eliminates the need for drive shafts to drive the cutting blades. The bearing is preferably capable of supporting a 90,000 pound load and supports the coupling close to the coupling hub where the cutting blade is attached. The bearing is housed in a watertight housing and is lubricated with grease. It is preferred that the output shaft of the motors driving the cutting blades be slanted slightly upward so that the lower part of the cutting blade is forward of the upper part of the cutting blade when the cutting blade is rotated, thereby reducing the load on the motor under normal operating conditions. The cutting blades have pitched fins sized so that each blade provides substantially the same amount of forward thrust for propulsion.