The kayaks on this thread are sea kayaks and big box boats that are pretty short. River kayaks are short boats and made only for rivers. I don’t see any here.
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For your size and what you want to do, go 12’…check out FeelFree Aventura’s or something similar. Good luck!
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Good move.
Typically the big box store kayaks are made with a thinner and lower quality plastic. You’ll also note that typically they’re designed with bottoms that have multiple channels designed to add some degree of support and overcome the basic deficiency in the material. It’s unlikely they have foam, bulkheads, or other means of providing floatation. 'And let’s talk oilcanning… They’re essentially fancy pool or beach toys.
Congrats! As long as you’re not planning on white water kayaking you should be fine! Get used to paddiling and handling in a lake before heading into a river. There are plenty of instructional vidoes on YouTube…check out PaddleTV on YouTube. Learn safety practices and self-rescue methods before venturing out; your life could very well depend on that knowledge some day.
Given the triple hull construction of my Dirigo 120… is it actually x3 as heavily constructed as other kayaks? X3 as heavy too? Or just marketing tool?
Three-layer Old Town Canoes are a bit heavier (10% +/-) than comparable single layer canoes but said (by Old Town) to be more resilient, stiffer, and more resistant to damage. That’s not to say that marketing isn’t a big part of it too. The same probably applies to their kayaks. 
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