John Wann there are some things I would consider. Good back support is one I consider important for me since I have a herniated disc but with even with a good back it's tiring with out much back support.
How tipsy is the kayak. Some fishing kayakers add sponsons for fishing for stability.
I have built some sponsons and I have bought one that I used for sailing but can be shortened as in the picture below. There is no way I could stand up in this kayak without
the sponsons.
Folbot sponsons,
How are you going to transport the kayak. In the back of a pickup, a trailer, on the roof of a car (that can be cheap using foam or run into the hundreds of dollars), or a blow up that fits in your trunk. My son has a blow up that I was impressed with on day river trip last spring. I think it was a foreign make he bought for maybe $250 new, and a good quality blower that plugs into a cigarette lighter. It also had a blow up back support that he said worked pretty good. And the kayak was stable and took a rough beating on that trip.
I would go online and qoogle fishing kayak personal reviews, building do it yourself sponsors for kayak fishing, etc. I know this is online if you can find it.
