What is your price range and ability? I might be able to suggest a few things.

eh, we're looking for a used one, because we can only afford about $200. We have an Old Town Otter that we love. Another something like that would be perfect.

Are you in the San Francisco Bay Area?

no, but I paddle a moderate amount and am a larger fellow (6'4, 240lbs). Sounds like you got it mostly figured out, My first was an Old Town. er, looks like they don't make that model anymore, but was going to suggest something of that caliber if you had a tight budget.
I now paddle a Current Designs Sirocco which I got a year old model for 1/2 the cost, it's a pretty sweet kayak overall.

Good luck, it's definitely a fun hobby.

Are you looking for a flat-water kayak, or an ocean-worthy one?

We have a tandem Wilderness Pamlico. No great shakes but it is fun.

whew! pricey, edgeways! (But of course it looks like it'd be perfect.)

danf, is the Pamlico a sit-on-top sort? We use it in the bay, which gets some good sized waves, but nothing huge- 4 feet or so, maybe. I'm never sure how you measure waves.

Anyway, I use that Otter without a skirt and it works fine. I can still get the Otters but after shipping they're about $350, and I never ever see them for sale used.

I'm up in Tahoe - try a lot of the kayak rental places - some are trying to get rid of last year's models, though they seem to run closer to $300 - $400, depending on your taste.

I was kayaking with 9 others on Sunday on the lake, one of the double kayaks capsized with the choppy waters (it was a cockpit one, not a sit on top, which is what everyone else was using). I had to tow one guy back to land all by myself - very proud of meeeeeee!

Have you tried Craig's List?

thanks for the idea heyallie. My search thus far has been 100% craigslist.

Since craigslist started I've forgotten how to do things any other way. Frightening.

More frightening: the young'uns I work with don't seem to know there ever was another way.

Old Town - Castaway. Looks like they may not make them anymore, but if you see a used one it's worth checking out. It's a kind of a bastard kayak, a "touring" boat, little bit of this and that. Very stable, not a fast boat, should be pretty cheap if you find one, new it was $500. They are big enough for a slightly taller fella.