Good morning,

I am currently trying to figure out which sea kayak to get and would appreciate any advice.

I am 6', reasonably fit (paddle my UR a couple of times a week), am nearly used to the stability of my racing boat (have no troubles in something like a TK), have no experience in sea kayaks but a fair amount paddling my fishing kayak (being sold to fund the new boat) in the ocean (close and out wide).

I need the sea kayak to go for family paddles on the local lakes, go for family camping trips and take me fishing.

The things I'm looking for in a sea kayak include:
- something which feels nice to paddle, cruises well and is stable enough to carry a young passenger or pull in a fish (top speed is not that important - so long as i can maintain around the 7km/hr mark on flat water for a couple of hours at a reasonable exercise pace);
- something which is tough enough that I don't have to worry about landing conditions and any moulded rod holders I install won't get ripped out when a fish grabs the line;
- something I can add bits too easily (rod holders mostly);
- something I can learn to roll and rescue myself in;
- something which can carry a bit of stuff for camping; and
- something which is not too expensive.

If I've left something out which would help you give me some useful advice, please let me know and I'll see if I have an answer. As I said before, any feedback would be great. I plan to paddle a few before making a final choice but I'd like to narrow down the field of hundreds first and get feedback on how different boats handle different conditions.

Thanks very much for your help.