Let's talk about boats and other small watercraft. I'm looking for a small boat to take fishing and crabbing on lakes and inshore in the Monterey Bay. I wouldn't go more than a half mile out and would only go in the best of weather.

I'm not sure on what kind of vessel I want though. I've got about 3k to spend on this endeavor all said and done, so I'd like to keep the cost of the boat itself under 2k so I can have some left over for maintenance, gear, etc. I have a half ton truck and would often pull it on mountain roads so max size would be 14 feet or so.

Here are some of the things I have considered:

>Kayak
I have done quite a bit of research on these, and have some kayaking experience. A kayak seems like it would fit my needs/wants almost perfectly. They are cheap, easy to store/load/launch, require next to no maintenance, and don't even need a trailer. The only problem is that they don't give me a lot of room when I'm out in the water. I have lots of ideas about outriggers and storage and all kinds of stuff but you just can't really get around the fact that a kayak is tiny compared to other kinds of boats. Really this is the only thing holding me back.

>Aluminum boat
12-14 foot aluminum boats pop up on craigslist all the time, sometimes for less than a grand. In fact, there is a 12 footer for sale near me for $400. No trailer, no motor, no nothing, but it floats. I like these little guys but I am concerned about them in the sea.

>Inflatable
A 12-14 foot zodiac or similar boat would give me almost as much space as an aluminum boat, and still fold up for easy storage and transportation. The downside is that I would be constantly worried about puncturing the tubes. I know it doesn't happen all that often but it does still happen. I would be worried about beaching it, rocks, barnacles, stray wires from crab pots, and every other little sharp thing in the world. This would probably be the most expensive of the three as well.

What do you think, /out/?