Excuse the novice question, but I need an inflatable boat of some sort
for the purpose of crossing a 1/2-mile wide river estuary
occasionally. The water flow from the river is very slow, (it's not
much of a river, despite the width of the estuary. The water is fairly
well sheltered from the ocean waves. The tide rises and falls quite
quickly. The boat ideally needs to carry myself, plus a rucksack full
of camping gear. Occasionally, I'd like to add one other adult and
rucksack. The boat needs to be light enough to be carried by one
person for short distances (when inflated but not laden), by one man.

I would also like to do longer trips occasionally (a few miles) along
the shoreline of the wider parts of the estuary - sort of leisurely
exploration trips. I'd also like to take the boat out along the
shoreline of the local beaches (outside the estuary) when the weather
is calm.

The boat needs to be an inflatable, since the only place I have to
store it is the trunk of my car. Folding boats were also of interest,
until I discovered the cost.

Budget is limited, so I have been looking at the Sevylor Tahiti (10 ft
2-seater inflatable canoe) and its 12-foot 3-seater version (both
under $200). My main concerns about these are that I they get blown
around by the wind and track terribly. If a wind blew up when I was
half-way across the estuary, there's no telling where I might end up!

So I'm wondering if I'd be wiser to go for some other kind of
inflatable with an outboard motor. What do you think? Any help would
be appreciated... While I have a small amount of sailing and
navigation experience, I have almost zero experience of canoes and
small craft.

Many thanks,

Al D