There is a mohawk odyssey 15 on craigslist in Chicago. I have been eyeing it ,but want a lighter boat. Might be a little bigger than you want.
For river camping on the waters you’ve mentioned I’d suggest a canoe (though I admit I’m biased towards canoes) rather than a kayak just because its easier to carry and access your gear. If you kayak, you’re wise to camp light - more like a back packer.
If you can lay your hands on a used one, I’d suggest a royalex Mad River Guide (later called the Freedom solo) or maybe a Nova Craft Super Nova. I covet both and those very rivers are the reason why. Both are something short of full-on whitewater boats that are dry, maneuverable, can carry a bit of a load. My recollection, having spent a some time in both, is that the Guide/Freedom solo has a little more initial stability, but neither is very tricky. They both track well enough as long as you aren’t dealing with long days on big stretches of flat water in the wind. The problem is finding one for sale.
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I know you mentioned 12-13’, but I’ve done nothing but read on this type of topic all winter long and then ended up buying one myself. The two best touring and packable kayaks that people mention are the Wilderness Systems Tsunami 140 and the Dagger Stratos 14.5L.
Ones better for a little more room(Tsunami) and the other (Dagger) is more playful/Maneuverable.
But the dagger myself, found it to be more comfortable, and I like the idea of the skeg better.
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I think a kneeling thwart or, if you prefer, a third seat would make the soloing any tandem easier because the boat is in better fore/aft trim and you are in position to throw draws or pries forward or aft. Either the seat or the thwart should be placed around 20" aft of center. The thwart is better than the seat for control because you can counter boat roll by pressing down on one knee or the other. With the thwart you also have better reach by rising up on your knees. A saddle placed near the center of the boat in a tandem would have you too far from the side of the boat to handily reach the water. Paddlers new to kneeling will complain about knee pain for a while. It seems people eventually get used to it and no longer mind. Some form of knee padding is essential. Eds Canoe can supply either a thwart or a seat.
Peter
Make sure your knees can do the kneeling part for long periods if you go that route, and that the tops of your feet can lay flat without finding new and different ways to cramp. Even with all the padding, there is a a wear and tear point that comes to many which means transition to a pack canoe.
Can you take a longer canoe on the same river ? Then you can take longer Sea kayak. But remember both do better with skilled paddlers.
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Most of our canoe buddies are senior paddlers . Kneeling is rough. Instead they put balast in the bow and paddle with a double bladed canoe paddle when solo’ng their tandems. Six gallons of river water in a jug usually does the trick. It is emptied at the end for lighter carry.
Paddling a tandem from the aft seat can create problems depending on the amount of dogs and gear you are carrying. I like to turn tandems around and paddle from the bow seat for most applications. I think I am going to add another seat closer amidships for day paddling with little dunnage.
I paddle the same rivers, Current, Eleven Point, Jacks Fork, etc.
The past few years, I’ve made due solo paddling the family tandem SOT—a WS Tarpon 135T—loading all of my gear up front to sort of replace the weight of a missing paddler 
… on these types of Ozark rivers, it worked decent enough.
However, after last season’s 40-mile, self–support, multi-day float on the Current (Akers to Two Rivers), I decided that I’d had enough solo-paddling the tandem “barge.”
Additionally, I’ve gotten an itch to—eventually—begin branching out into some class lll+/- WW on the St. Francois.
So I purchased a Dagger Katana 10.4 crossover. Which I have only just now had for about 4 weeks now. & have taken out on the Meremac here in St. Louis every other morning since I’ve had it.
The Katana checked my boxes for handling both the flat waters of the Current as well as the rapids of the St. Francois; & for being capable for packing loads of gear for self-support, multi-day floats.
I did a test pack/load out just the other day w/ the Katana (to make sure I could fit all of my gear that I intend to bring for a multi-day float) & I was able to easily fit—what amounted to—30lbs of gear in my four dry bags. I had two Watershed Futa Stowfloat bags in the stern hatch, one Watershed Salmon Stowfloat bag in the bow, forward of the foot race bulkhead, & one 10L Sealline drybag behind my seat. Honestly, I still had space left over behind the seat, & in the stern hatch compartment.
However, reading as how you seem focused on sticking to the class l–ll rivers like the Current, I’d agree w/ previous posters about the Dagger Stratos.
But knowing the rivers of which you speak, & knowing how much I was able to pack in the Katana 10.4, I feel like you could do wonders w/ the
Stratos 12.5L & still maintain exceptional nimbleness in these Ozark rivers. I don’t see an absolute need for the added length of the 14.5 … unless of course that that’s something that intrigues you, then by all means 
The big consideration—as others have previously stated—do you prefer canoe(?) or kayak(?). And are you accustomed to packing a hard cooler?
Although I have yet to test the theory out, I plan on carrying my 15L IceMule soft cooler on my rear deck bungees—its still a personal necessity to have SOME cold cervezas in the evenings after a long day on the river 
Anyways … that’s just my 2¢ from a local paddler 
A fourteen foot kayak is relatively compact and maneuverable. I’ve enjoyed mine. If you buy used (pre-scratched) you feel pretty comfortable in the rocks and such.
Honestly I prefer kayaks and would love to find one that would fit my needs. There’s a guy locally selling Riot Edge 13s for a good price. I thought about going and checking one out. Anyone have experience with them? The Stratos line is honestly just out of my price range.
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Maybe try a carbonfiber high brid
If you prefer kayaks over canoes you might shop for a Prijon Yukon. 14’ long with good storage.
14’ is a good length for the canoe too. I’ve been on most of the Ozark rivers. Like you i have paddled the Current and Buffalo. Also the Spring, Jack Fork, and Eleven Point.
Used an Old Town Hunter for most of those. 14’ long, 36" wide and very stable. Hard to find Royalex boat long out of production though. 14’ Mohawk would be a great choice too.
Hello Tarheel, I do not have a real answer for you. I am just going to relate what I do. Perhaps there is something in there for you. I like a large boat. The longer the waterline, the faster and easier the canoe or kayak is to paddle distance. Large canoes handle lots of gear, allow you to provision for 4 to 6 weeks, no problem, and at the same time, a large boat loaded to only 40% of its rating, is light and fluffy in the rapids.
The two things that make a boat turn, not turn, first. The first is rocker. A Minn II, 20 feet long has no rocker, tracks straight as a die, and at speed it lasers. Great Boundary Waters Boat, nasty on a tight river. My Clipper MacKenzie 20’ has 3 inches of rocker, nice compromise. Turns easy at low and medium speeds, straightens out as you switch paddle and get it up to 4 mph, sometimes 5. lazy paddling is always 3.5 + or -. As suggested by someone else here, ballast is what it is all about. The boat must sit mostly flat. My water jugs go in the bow on the bottom, all the overnight gear, tents, sleeping, clothes, paper back books, all go in the bow. If running downwind, I leave the bow a bit high, if running into the wind, I want the bow dead low. If I don’t have enough gear for a nice trim, or my water is running down, I start collecting rocks to place in the bow. I have used firewood as well. Moderate rocker, and ballast to suit the day. And a boat that is only loaded to 40 or 50% of its max load, sometimes less than 40%…
I want the boat to be light, respond quick to the rapids.
Special note. If in the rapids, let us say you are entering on the tongue, that larger canoe or long kayak, will take off like a scared rabbit. (Imagine getting a 20’ canoe up on plane.) And unless you have 10 inches of rocker, A banana, the boat will laser, it will not turn. Turning then is accomplished with extremely strong back paddling, until you begin getting it down to hull speed.
Don’t be afraid of a larger boat. If it has moderate rocker, it turns easy, carries your gear high, you must ballast it for yourself and the wind of the day. But for canoe camping, I’ll take a big boat every time. Short boats get me tired… I’m lazy.
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I bought the Riot Edge 13 last summer and have really enjoyed its versatility. For its size, it has dual bulkheads (2 storage compartments) and a skeg, good compromise of primary & secondary stability, and quick. I haven’t tried rolling it; that’s a skill to develop!
I would say, good value for the money.
I ended up getting a Riot Enduro 12 from Lewis and Clark outfitters in Springdale. After reviewing all my options I think this will suit me well. Fire and aft bulkhead storage, skeg, good stability and tracking. Can’t wait to try it out when they reopen the Buffalo. Thanks all for your advice.
Enjoy your ride! I had looked at the Enduro when I was shopping around. The Enduro is noted for its wide stable hull, whereas the Edge has a shallow-V hull shape. As a long-time canoeist, I preferred that shape to give me greater secondary stability in moving water. You’ll find that the relatively flat hull of the Enduro will tend to follow the water’s surface, so may be more ‘tippy’ in rough water & waves. The hull of the Edge is easier to balance with hip action in wavey waters. As you become more proficient (and adventurous!), you may want to try out a different hull design. Above all, HAVE FUN!!