Invest your money in a sit inside kayak. There are a million options of varying sizes and prices. You can outfit them with skirts so you can stay completely dry if so desired. They are relatively light. The smaller they are, the easier to paddle and more maneuverable. The larger, while a bit heavier and harder to paddle, they will be more stable.
Another option is a sit on top. I've owned several and love them. You can use them all seasons if so desired and you simply need to account for temps with appropriate clothing.
Well, size (in different dimensions) has other factors. Stability and effort required to paddle are flip sides of each other. A narrower, longer boat will be easier to paddle and stay on track (keep pointed in the direction you want to go) better, actually. My little wide bottomed 9.5 recreational kayaks are light (30ish lbs) and very stable, with big roomy cockpits. And on flat water, you will never get wet. But that stability from the wide bottom means every time I paddle, the nose swings in that direction. And some amount of the next paddle dip has to overcome that. A longer skinnier boat, while more tippy, would resist those swings better. I'm glad I go the small boats, helped my kids gain confidence. but I really think the sweet spot for an adult beginner would be a 12 foot boat. Sit in, I agree, is better than sit on, more stability with less weight. I would buy a used boat, find a local paddler to help with inspection if needed. I'm sure fiding one from the SOMD Paddlers group wouldn't be to hard. I know a lot of times, folks who want to try paddling will join up and see if they can join a paddle with the group, offers to bring an extra boat for a new person are common.
I wasn't really a fan. It was just a pain in the ass inflating and deflating.
