upgrade
We hear this story 100’s of times on this board. “I just want to paddle for a couple of hours on inland lakes.” The paddler buys a rec boat and 4 months after getting hooked by the hobby, they do want to upgrade their skills, knowledge, range, gear and boat. Don’t sell yourself short. Find something to grow into and don’t limit yourself by saying you won’t want to roll. I guarantee you after 4-6 months you’ll want to push your skills, which means longer time on the water, greater distances, rougher conditions and you’ll soon realize you have the bug and you’ll wonder why you didn’t listen to us earlier.
Boats to look at
From your description, it sounds like you are looking for the same type boat my wife and I were shopping for. We just bought a Dagger Axis and Approach. Others I’ve found that fit this category are the Liquid Logic Remix and Pyranha Fusion. All have areas to haul your gear, a drop down skeg to track straight on the lakes, and should have good river characteristics. The Axis leans more toward the side of a flatwater boat than the others.