Enjoyed the write up. I will say just like boats the kayak you use makes ALL the difference! My first kayak was a Lifetime Tamarac I purchased from Walmart. Cheap and got me on the water. I had done plenty of research online beforehand and knew that was the one in my budget. While I never flipped it there were some rear cheek clinching moments. I always found a way and made it work though. My current kayak is a Native Titan. This is a heavier kayak at around 120 lbs or so but it is soooooooo much better. It’s wider and more stable, much more comfortable, I can stand and move about and has much more room. I can easily carry multiple rods with no fear of losing one or anything by accident. Also this is a pedal kayak and I’m covering much more water and faster than before. My biggest love is no motor or loud noises so I feel closer to nature and the outdoors. I have no taxes or maintenance really and just load in back of truck and go whenever. Takes very little space to store verses a boat. I never had any payments although I did save my pennies for electronics. Before completely ruling them out might be worth considering another kayak. I will admit kayaks aren’t for everyone but they sure work for me.