>>1674356My family has a few Hobie mirage drive boats, but you know what I've been using the past few years?
An Ocean Kayak Nalu. It's a hybrid SUP Kayak. I don't know why but I fly in this thing under kayak paddle power. It's so light I can carry it with one hand wherever. There's no stress, no frustration. My usual run is around 8 miles just noodling around the coast where I live in the PNW. I have used it as a paddle board but only when it's dead calm as I'm still a complete noob and standing up in even mild chop freaks me out. I figured it would be a decent paddle board + a shitty kayak, but it's actually exceptional at both. The only downside to kayaking it is your butt is inevitably going to get wet, but that can happen in any kayak (it's just guaranteed to happen in a Nalu).
I can't recommend it enough. It might also satisfy your "I don't have space for a hard shell kayak" requirement. Yes, it's a hard shell, but it's very thin, and if you put it up against a wall it will take up very little space, and again, it's so light you can lift it with one hand.
Can't plug it enough. Heaps of fun. Obviously it's not an expedition boat, but it has enough cargo space for picnics and stuff like that.
