thank you! we do have a little club. membership $18 per year. i am not the club-joining type, but perhaps i will make an exception. can whitewater kayaks double as placid lake/river kayaks? probably right? if so, i may just buy one of those and if i ever get around to using it in whitewater, so much the better.
There's a maxim in kayaking: we're all between swims. And the real danger beings once you're swimming. If you don't join a club, it's sage advice to kayak with others around. Because when you fall out of your kayak in an unfavourable position, being on your own makes things a lot more dangerous and difficult. You want people around who can help you. A river running kayak can also be used as a touring kayak (i.e. one made for flat or calm water). A true touring kayak will be longer than a river runner as the added length helps to maintain speed. They'll also have a skeg (a fin centered on the bottom of the boat) that keeps the boat tracking in a straight line. You can also get crossover boats that seek to bridge the gap between the two.