I was in your predicament only 2 months ago......Bought a 10'-4" sit-in kayak from Dick's. My pal, who is a rafting guide and drift-boat fishing guide told me that it wasn't stable enough, and that what I wanted was an inflatable kayak. I tried one and it was a pain in the butt to paddle straight. Next I considered a pontoon boat. A good quality one is made by Buck's bags out of Boise, Idaho. Capable of class 3 rapids, and cost $900.00 complete with oars.
I answered an add in the local Craigslist for the exact model that I was looking for (the Southfork model) and found one advertised for $450.00.It had been used a total of 2 times in lakes, and came with a BUNCH of extras. The next day I answered another add for the same boat, but a little more used, for $200.00! I bought both of them, and now my wife and I each have a pontoon boat.
These are really user-friendly as a fishing craft, and when you row them like a drift-boat, they go straight. We intend to use them to float the lower Clackamas River, which has a few barely class 1 rapids.
