A few years ago I wanted a canoe for exactly your purposes and after some research settled on the Mad River Tahoe 14. Short for lighter weight, easy turning, use in smaller waters, and beamy for stability in fishing and hauling heavy loads like big game. It paddles well solo but will take two people and gear, flat water or class II rivers edged into III when solo for fun, without serious gear. Old Town now builds something almost identical in a bit heavier weight and half the cost, as do some other companies. I didn�t plan to portage but car topping alone made me want one under 40 lbs. and the Tahoe is a little heavier than that.
Aluminum grabs rocks like sticking on the brakes. Royalex and the plastic skin types slide over rocks slick. Kevlar and glass are somewhere between and they chip on rocks, plus are more expensive. I prefer to step out and get in glass boats with the boat floating to protect them rather than nose up onto gravel bars. If you go glass or Kevlar, add a two inch wide layer of protection on bow and stern, above waterline to a foot or two back on the keel or centerline to absorb the abrasion real use causes.
A keel on the bottom stiffens cheaper canoes, and makes them paddle straight in flat water like on a rail. That rail is bad news in moving currents because it keeps on track and either doesn�t let you turn quick as needed, or the swirling currents grab it, such as when crossing an eddy line (from current into an eddy or vice versa) and try to flip the canoe over. In current it feels like a weird remote is controlling the canoe rather than you, overriding your steering. That grabbing action as you cross an eddy line happens with all canoes but is MUCH worse with a keel. I personally dislike canoes with a keel, though have paddled plenty of them.
Rocker helps turn quick in swift water, so true whitewater canoes are shaped like a banana. You probably want a slight bit of rocker for what you describe, say an inch to an inch and a half, with a smooth bottom slightly arched or bowed for strength without a keel. With a little bit of rocker you can turn easier in moving water, but you will have to learn to paddle straight, which will take an hour or so of practice to get fairly good at it. If you paddle once a month in a few months you will paddle straight without conscious effort.
The early Coleman canoes included every bad feature you can put in a canoe, but they are bomb proof sturdy and would do for your purpose. They were designed to nestle one inside another for efficient shipping rather than designed for use in water.
A good canoe feels tippy, or �tender� but becomes very stable when you lean it over a bit to either side, getting more steady as it lays over farther. That makes it easy to turn or paddle solo, and makes it much safer from turning over. A bad canoe feels very stable till it tips over a few degrees and then it goes all the way over to bottom up, suddenly.
Clipper canoes from Western Canoe & Kayak in Abbotsford, Canada, offer low seats and foot braces for control in white water and that is far more comfortable than kneeling. The foot braces are nice for any canoe and you can add them yourself.
I bought a kayak instead of the canoe. Caught a 15 lb. Chinook salmon from it a couple of weeks ago. It has hauled a LOT of salmon down rivers but this is the first I�ve caught in salt water from the kayak. As an Olympic paddler told me regarding canoes and kayaks, �Why drive a Chevy when you can drive a Ferrari?�
