About the roll
Most people don’t get a good brace, that is one that’ll do well at avoiding a capsize, unless they get wet a lot. Most new paddlers aren’t going to get wet enough unless they are actually trying to roll, which forces you to go well over. There are some who seem to be able to brace well and deeply but never have gotten around to a roll, but it is not most paddlers.
It doesn’t necessarily matter that you get the roll, especially if you paddle with someone with whom you can work on assisted rescues. It appears that you and your wife could do that. It is tremendously helpful to try, both to get a better brace and to get a better feeling on the blade.
rolling
Well, I may be interested in giving it a try, but I don’t think my Cayuga, at 25" wide, is one that I could easily learn on. I do intend to learn how to exit the boat more gracefully though!
As far as taking lessons, or paddling with somebody… I’ve been boating on Bull Shoals Lake for 6 years… bass boat, canoe, and now kayak, and the only other kayak I’ve ever seen is my wife’s Tsunami. I have to drive 200 miles to look at anything other than the rec kayaks that are sometimes seen on the Buffalo River.
Rolling the Cayuga would be a feat!
Though there are some who could roll your Cayuga, such as Dubside or Eric Jackson, it is certainly not the boat in which to learn to roll.
Seakindly
"Best-mannered" is a nice description. I was reading an old naval arch book from the 50s recently, and the term of art in the field is “seakindly”, which is a somewhat vague term that means, as close as I can tell, “well-mannered in lousy conditions”, so I guess is your boat is a seakindly design.