I went with the Mountain HW Hammerhead 2
Thanks to all for the terrific discussions. In the end it came down to two -- REI Half Dome 2 HC and the Mountain Hardwear Hammerhead 2.
I wanted something on the roomy and peaky side, with good convenience, and was willing to sacrifice weight but not bulk, since I'll probably only kayak, never backpack with this. So I settled on two-door, two-vestibule models. Taking the REI list as gospel (I realize that left out a lot of good tents), that pretty much narrowed it down to these two.
Both seemed good, and the REI model a bargain $-wise. But this has to last a long time, so I downplayed cost within reason. The Hammerhead had a bit more room on top and all around, and that was nice. I also liked the third pole on the Hammerhead, as I surmised that would make it more stable in wind, something that kayakers can count on at some point in any season.
My one reservation, apart from the price difference, was how easy to set up was the Hammerhead. It looked kind of tricky in photos. So I went down to EMS (I usually shop more at REI, but they were out of stock on this) and said -- let's set it up. The salescritter protested that -- hey, it's just a tent -- but I insisted. He then proceded to be a complete flub at setting it up. We were both scratching our heads when another salescritter walked by and showed us the error of our ways. Ok, bottom line, it's a bit more complex than the REI, but now I know how and it's an extra two minutes.
So, I did it. Thanks to all for the help!
--David.