ML & George, I would guess you guys are talking about two different types of boats considering you guys are into a few of the same things (fly fishing, HSB, etc.).
For my $.02, I would also consider a few things besides the ones you've mentioned (stability, etc.)
1) Comfortable Seating and with cup/bottle holders and a place to put small tools like needle nose pliers, line cutters, etc. Also the ability to swivel is great.
2) Overall weight: this cuts both ways I think. Heavier is good for doing work like structure placement and such, and has another benefit of being harder to steal. However, it's harder to move around if you need to, like if you have to store it in a shed when you're not around. Consider having to move it by yourself from time to time.
I have a 10' Pondmaster Boat like you see in Bass Pro or Cabelas. I like it, but my opinion is only based on having this one boat (besides canoes). Moving it by yourself is a little bit of a pain in the ass though. I have to keep it stored in a locked shed which is about 400 feet from the launch point. I slide it onto a large heavy duty pallet and tow it with my car, back and forth.
I'd have to say it weighs around 300 lbs. For my pond (which I don't live at), the weight is an advantage as it would have been stolen several times over after 5 years of owning it. Charles Darwin would have been shocked at how fast the boat would have evolved legs and ran away.
It has two swivel, padded seats with back support and caddy trays. The seat height is like sitting in a regular chair. It's prewired so you can plug in things like depth finders, etc.
The underside is not flat. It's more like shaped like a channel between two pontoon-like rails. It's very sturdy.
If I had to buy another one, I'd look for something lighter weight.
