Jeff,
Good thing about the aluminum boats is that you can pretty much beat the living snot out of them and they still function. They aren't the lightest things to portage, but at 42 you're still plenty young enough to pull it off. Don't plan on single-portaging, though. They aren't as pretty as a kevlar, but you don't get style points in the BW/Q. And they aren't as fast as kevlar, but you're not out there to race anyways. They're just good, inexpensive, functional boats that have proven themselves for decades.
The other negatives of aluminum are noise - bang your paddle on the side and it will resound down the lake - and they conduct water temp - if water is cold so will be your butt. Ten years from now you can buy the kevlar of your dreams and you will really appreciate it. (Sort of like buying your first brand new car after ten years of beaters.) Then you can give the trusty aluminum, complete with dents and dings, to your kids with a couple cheap plastic paddles and let 'em thrash around.
I really don't think you can go wrong with an aluminum over the long haul. You can probably re-sell the darn thing in 10 years for as much as you paid for it.
So, congrats on your new boat!
- Wind-in-Face