Depends on what you want to do. I own a canoe and an expedition sea-kayak. I take the canoe flat-water canoeing in lakes or calm or slow-moving rivers or to the intra-coastal. You have to know how to "steer" well to be able to get anywhere since most...
This site: is a great resource for comparing various kayaks and canoes. It has first hand reports from people who have owned and used most models. I've used it myself in selecting my kayaks.
Nolan Whitesell who runs whitesell canoes ltd. is currently taking a sabbatical from building canoes, but has a waiting list for future work. I believe his e-mail is still The piranha was a great canoe, btw.