A little late to the party, but I vote for a kayak. The reasons mentioned above are all reasons which led me to the yak. I have an Ocean Kayak Trident 11. It is an 11'6" boat and is super stable. I can stand in it-- never fished standing, but I wanted to see if it can be done. Nor have I ever had a need/ desire to stand while fishing. That is what my dad's Skeeter ZX with a platform deck and troller on the front is for.

The one (yes, only one-- IMHO) drawback to the yak is that underwater structure can look distorted due to being so low to the water. Once you get used to the way things appear it becomes a non issue.

Plusses: Won't be as affected by wind as others, my boat has a crazy weight capacity for it's size (I'll never have 450 lbs. with me...), stealthy, covers water quickly, easily maneuverable, And, possibly most importantly to me-- is that you can sit side saddle, and use your feet like you would in a kick boat for positioning-- this was my only concern, would I be able to hold in the water? Not a problem.

I am a young guy, mid 30's, very active-- most people are amazed that I am as old as I am-- So, issues with back problems, joint probs, etc. are yet to be a factor for me. But this may be something that is of concern to others-- I can't speak to this issue.....