Late on this one, but a used QCC 700XL would fit your needs. You will like having a rudder like a Smart Track, when you get quartering winds, and when you do not need it just flip up. QCC was based in Minnesota, so could be a few around you.
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This is how you do it!
One last word about Rudders:
In the beginning of my search and this thread I shared my observation that the play & roll kayaks I was exploring never had a rudder. Thatās when I began to have doubts about the Delta. Delta kayaks in Calgary come with a rudder. I was right: A rudder and maneuverability doesnāt go together. A highly maneuverable kayak designed for play & roll will never have a rudder.
I brought you on this subject an article by Bjorn Tomasson in Swedish (I used google translate) and a current designs video.
I also asked Bjorn Thomasson to outline his argument in English which he did in comment 112 on this page.
Episode 5
My builder is putting up videos as he progresses with my kayak built.
Meanwhile, Iāve learned something new about rudders and skegs:
Thereās a note on the drawing of my Black Pearl kayak that reads: āAdjustable skeg: probably an unnecessary complication for most paddlers - unless the kayak is used for fast long distance touring for which it is not well suitedā.
Iāve had a hard time accepting this. But I asked people and looked it upā¦ Of course, Bjorn is right. Here, Ken Whiting says the same thing: A skeg or a rudder is useful only for those who plan to cover long distances in windy conditions. In other words, most recreational kayakers can do and should do without a skeg or a rudder simply by developing their paddling skills.
Um, when the wind comes up more than you expected at the end of a paddle when you are getting tiredā¦
Yes ideally you should manage that as long as possible w/o a tracking aid.
But it is also important to be able to get home with some gas in the tank, so you are not too tired to handle surprises.
It is much easier to just not deploy a skeg than to be without one and wish it was available.
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I am very far from an expert, but I am my wife own 9 kayaks now, and we have bought and delivered 11 others to friends who are now new kayakers. (All in 1 year too) Many of those I got to paddle some before we gave them to their new owners. Of those 20 kayaks, a few had skegs, about 1/2 have rudders and the others had nothing. Speaking for myself only, I have come to love the boats with the skegs most.
I agree with many above that for the most part you donāt need them. BUT, when the wind get going at 20 MPH and more they are very welcome to have. Even with 12 -15 MPH winds, if you have a distance to go of several miles the skeg can be a welcome addition. Rudders are good too, but a rudder is a wind catch until itās deployed and a skeg is not. A rudder is a bit āin the wayā at times when itās not in use. In use they do make things easier and there is no arguing with that, but now that I have used slick kayaks, kayaks with skegs and kayaks with rudders I have come to prefer the skeg boats most. The only down side I have found for a kayak with a skeg is the fact that it takes up a space in the bottom of the hull that you must pack your load around, but even that is not really a big deal (for me at least) I pack a tent on one side and a ground mat on the other and shove them back to the stern as far as I can and then load my kayak with smaller items around the skeg box and itās not an obstacle for my trip at all. Some boats with smaller or lower hulls could be I guess, but so far I have not seen a problem.
I see skegs like a fire extinguisher, seat belt or handgun. Better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it. Much of the time I donāt use my skeg, but when I want it, itās right there for me. I have done fine with slick boats too and I like them, but I like my kayaks best with skegs.
I like turning and quick maneuvers so I donāt deploy my skeg until I feel I need to āline out and travelā in a stiff wind, but at those times I REALLY appreciate having it.
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āA skeg or a rudder is useful only for those who plan to cover long distances in windy conditionsā
Bjorn and Ken fail to take into account those of us who desire to kayak in 20+ knot wind but are not built like Sly Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger in their prime! Especially female paddlers like myself.
Just sayinā.
I could survive in a ābareā boat - but it would involve zigzagging, going crosswind for a while, then straight downwind with careful attention to not allowing any veer, then back to crosswind, etc.
I love my skeg and will never buy a ābareā boat again.
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Sleek and beautiful! Hope you will love it!
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Thank you Karen! I hope so too 
Maybe I should sum up what Iāve learned so far:
FIT
Kayak, or Qajaq, in Greenlandic, means āmanās boatā. It is built by the paddler according to his dimensions. The tight fit is what enables maximum control over the kayak. āA kayak is not a boat you get into - itās a body extensionā.
Commercial kayaks
Commercial kayaks are made to fit as many paddlers as possible. Itās a commercial product. Itās designed to make profit - not to fit you!
Thereās one that comes close though. Itās the Tahe Greenland of Johan Wirsen. Available today under Rebel kayaks. Comes in 3 sizes: Naja (small), Ilaga (medium), T (large)
Wooden kayaks
By far, your best option:
- Custom fit
- you can choose the size, cockpit shape, hatches, skeg etc.
- 20-38 lbs
- Cheap if you build it yourself
I chose the Black Pearl but a skin on frame kayak is much cheaper and easier to build.
For more info check out Qajaq USA
There are many companies besides Tahe that make graduated sizes of kayaks for different sized paddlers. I am a 5ā 5" average sized woman and two of my kayaks, a Venture Easky 15LV (low volume) and a Pakboat Quest 135, were specifically scaled for smaller paddler. I also have a skin on frame West Greenland replica qajaq which was custom scaled for its first owner, a guy who was about 4" taller and 30 pounds heavier than me, but since we had the same leg length and approximate torso girth, the boat fits me well.
I agree that the lower end mass-marketed kayak makers who sell through big box stores use a āone size fits allā approach. But even the widely distributed mid-price plastic kayak makers Wilderness Systems, Perception, Eddyline and Riot are just a few that produce a range of scaled sizes. All of the higher end companies like P & H, QCC, SKUK and Valley make graduated models.
Part of the problem is that people tend to try to buy a kayak on line or at a big box sporting goods store rather than going to a paddling specific outfitter where they can be properly fitted and even have an opportunity to test paddle various models. Even gleaning advice from those with experience through a forum like this is not a good substitute for dealing with a well trained and experienced outfitter salesperson.
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Sorry Ilan but too much time in front of a computer screen and too little in a boat.
A personally fitted boat is always, obviously, going to be a more tailored fit. However as a small paddler l can attest that, as Willowleaf says, there is a fairly robust set of sea kayaks out there for various sizes. This is hugely different than when l started paddling. In fact the part of the spectrum that is hardest now is probably really large people.
None of this says you should not get a boat,as you describe, and will enjoy it.
But it is quite possible to enjoy your own boat without casting false aspertions on other manufacturers. This is a small world, this kayaking, and the serious companies trying to stay in the game deserve better.
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