What are some good light weight makes and models that you guys would recommend ? It would be used for nature observing, fishing etc.  

Too bad I'm not in touch with my sister right now.  She is a fairly new kayaker and on her maybe 3 rd or 4th one in the last year or so.  At present she is on a 6 week river trek with another woman some place in Alabama.  Mostly camping but there are " river angles" along the way that do give some assistance and does get off the water.  I don't know what kind of physical requirements are needed but she is an accomplished tri athelete, bike racer, marathon runner, btw she is 65.

She has a blog going of the trip, I'll post the question.  Interested, take a look

http://janwanetick.wordpress.com/2013/08/01/hello-world/

Old Town "Otter", which was replaced by the Old Town "Heron". My wife has the Otter.

Too bad I'm not in touch with my sister right now.  She is a fairly new kayaker and on her maybe 3 rd or 4th one in the last year or so.  At present she is on a 6 week river trek with another woman some place in Alabama.  Mostly camping but there are " river angles" along the way that do give some assistance and does get off the water.  I don't know what kind of physical requirements are needed but she is an accomplished tri athelete, bike racer, marathon runner, btw she is 65.

She has a blog going of the trip, I'll post the question.  Interested, take a look

http://janwanetick.wordpress.com/2013/08/01/hello-world/

Thanks for the link to the blog Sir. What an inspiration! your sister sure knows how to live life to the fullest.

Thanks for the link to the blog Sir. What an inspiration! your sister sure knows how to live life to the fullest.

She sure does !  When kids were in school she took them on 6-8 week trips during summer break to south america, asia, israel, across the usa.  She's a retired teacher, does a lot of extended trips throughout the world, kayaking is her latest kick.........

Being that way kinda runs in the family.

If standing is not an option then I say something along the Coosa or Tarpon line.

If I had to pick an overall kayak that could be fished from comfortably, have the feeling of stability and safety that my girlfriend wanted and SAFELY store delicate, expensive camera equipment, I would pick the Native Ultimate.

A 12ft version would be under 60 lbs, has a full seat (so nice to have on long days), pontoon like hull indentations on both sides (very stable sitting, even standing) and has higher gunwales like a canoe. In many ways, it's very similar to a canoe. However, the keel and hull design are more like a kayak, as is the speed and stability.

Trust me, if you kick a piece of electronics overboard in a SOT, it may be gone forever. In the Ultimate, you can just lay your dry box on the floor.

Want to bring an ice chest? Bring it. Tent? Easy. It has tons of storage and feels extremely safe at all times.

The biggest issue with them (to some, not to me) is that they are not self bailing like SOT's with scuppers. However, I have had mine in open bays in 30+ mph winds with white caps and never once felt unsafe. It's an absolute deal when it comes to stability, speed, and cargo storage.

I'm 6'2 and have the 14.5 model. I carry four+ rods, a soft sides cooler for fish and drinks, tackle box, etc and still have room to spare. I regularly float rivers and fish saltwater marshes/bays.

Give them a look. They are great little boats.

If I have questions about bass fishing I come here for the fishing expertise.  If I have questions about paddling, I go where the paddling experts hang out   http://www.paddling.net/message/

Jackson Cruise 10.  Just got released.  Great for women. 

My wife has a Hobie Mirage Sport.  It weights about 48 lbs w/o the seat, paddle, mirage drive.  It's manageable for her to get on top of the SUV.

My favorite non-fishing kayak is LL Bean's Calypso. It's specifically made for women... (lightweight (38 lb), seat eliminates pressure points, lower deck, cockpit and sidewall gives kayakers with smaller torsos unobstructed paddling zone). The only thing is it's not as stable as some of the others mentioned above. Sure is a dream to paddle though