Watch out!   Who you're calling stubby!   ;D

My Wenonah Prism measures out at 16.5 feet, making it only marginally shorter than many outright tandems.  I chose it BECAUSE of the length.  The longer your boat, the better its track properties (and from my experience, the longer glide you'll get).

A canoe like this will initially feel relatively tippy when compared to a tandem ... bottom tends to be more rounded than flat.  The seat near the center achieves a better overall weight distribution resulting in somewhat less weather-vanning (like a tandem that only has a rear paddler and otherwise poor weight distribution.  

But the downside of sitting in the middle ... generally speaking it will not respond as quickly in a turn (tandem boats are superior in that regard, but then you usually have 2 paddlers.)  And, you might as well decide to wet-foot.

Whatever you decide on, I'd recommend a local "try-out" before your put-in day.  Getting the first hour behind you will give you a better appreciation of the various characteristics of the craft you ultimately select.  

Also, don't overlook using a yak paddle in a canoe.  Many swear by them and they eliminate the hit-and-switch pattern you are likely to adopt as a novice solo paddler.

dd