I agree....like I said earlier, any canoe is better than no canoe, and the same goes for kayaks. I've got two 10.5 ft. rec boats, with skegs....frowned upon by the sea yak crowd (have one of those too...) and have had many hours of great paddling and fishing in them. In fact, my cheapest, beat up boat is my go-to boat for uncharted fly fishing waters. I don't care if it gets scratched....nothin' duct tape can't handle. It gets rolled, swamped, bashed, dragged and still looks good. It, a $100 PFD, a $150 paddle, all purchased for $325 off of Craigslist, all like new.
Your best boat is the one you use the most.

The local Brazos River outfitters all use Grumman aluminum canoes. Some have unbelievable dents in them and are probably decades old. My old Grumman still looks new and with the trusty Mercury 6 on the back, you can knee board!

Phat, don't shop it to death.....boil you choice down to two or three and buy something. Used or demo if you can. You can modify these things endlessly too.