I and my extended family (95 yr old Grandpa to 28 year old son) live on an island and we are up to our eyeballs in boats(5), motors(5), canoes(3) and kayaks(7) and one stand-up paddle board.    So far this spring we have had 3 motors repaired; the old small 10 hp motor the only one not needing attention.  Our smallest boat is a 14 foot light weight aluminum fishing boat which is actually more unstable than a canoe for being tippy.  We seldom use it.

I agree with solotripper, it depends on what you do most in your water craft (fish? sight-seeing? traveling) and who and how many persons might be coming along with you.  I would pick the one you would use the most and factor in repairs, gas, trailering and storage, and what you would do if your craft broke down.  Unless it is a very nice day even an 18 foot fishing boat can be impossible to row anywhere if the motor breaks down.  Kayaks are difficult to fish from.  Personally I find the canoe/kayak the most dependable transportation simply because unless your arm is broken you will eventually make it to your destination at minimal cost.

Get what you can get the most use out of.
If you can fish/boat regularly and only get a canoe trip once a year, then its cheaper to rent a canoe than buy one and have to store it safely the rest of the year.

I'm all for the "green" aspects of the canoe for fishing/recreation locally, but if your fishing/recreating on most waters that are popular destinations and are open to motor traffic, the canoe isn't the best choice IMHO.

I see a lot of people buying those fishing kayaks and there nice and the price range is relatively cheaper than a good Kevlar canoe.

Problem with any non-motorized vessel on lakes with motor traffic, is that once the boaters/jet skiers the water, your spending as much time worrying that they see you and don't swamp you by getting to close than enjoying the benefits of human powered craft.

In the area I live in, early morning/evening is when you see the kayaks/canoes, once the power boaters/jet skiers hit the water, they disappear

You sound like you need some help deciding. My advice is to ask your wife or girlfriend what to do. They are usually quite helpful in helping you spend your dough....... (don't come cryin to me if you end up with neither and instead have a new flatscreen  )

Let's see ... a loud, heavy, stinking, polluting power boat or a sleek, quiet, versatile canoe ... hmmmmm, that's a tough one.

In my particular case I would probably go with the boat. I happen to have a kayak so I can get my paddling jones satisfied with that. It is better for me to rent a kevlar as opposed to car topping 1100 miles. I'll bet a fishing boat would come in handy if I lived somewhere worth fishing!

There is not much of Quetico that is legal to travel in a motor boat; and much of that is limited to First Nation guides  (even if one was inclined to portage one).

dd

Right now I have a very old, heavy canoe, and a very old, 14' v-bottom boat with a very old 10 horse motor on it. I have decided to spend a sum of money and can either buy a new canoe, or put a down payment on a decent motor boat. I'm really at a place where I can only have one or the other, and will probably have to wait a few years before the unchosen option this time around becomes feasible. I was wondering if you guys can share some opinions on what you would do if you had to make such a choice, and why. I realize this is a canoe site, so I'm kind of guessing most of you are canoeists at heart, but I'm wondering if you can sway me one way or the other. The canoe I'm thinking about getting is a Merrimack Traveler, to be used primarily in Quetico Provinicial Park, and on rivers and lakes in my home state of Wisconsin. I'll probably also post this on solotripping.com also. Thanks in advance.