I also have a Kilroy for fishing locally. I'd never take it to the BW or Q.

As for canoe, we like to travel on those trips...so Kevlar or other lightweight is important. Carrying aluminum or royalex isn't much fun. If it was just you, I'd say solo all the way and probably paddle with a kayak paddle since you're used to it. Bell Magic, Wenonah advantage, and many more. How soon will you be taking the little ones on paddle trips? You could get a used solo for now and then in a few years you'll have a better idea if you like the solo or want to buy a bigger boat to include them.

BF,

   I solo in a 16 Souris River tandem paddling backward from the bow seat with a DOUBLE canoe paddle, its 9 ft long. You need that extra length because the tandem is winder than a solo or kayak. I can point you to a good/rugged CANOE paddle for a decent price. Not the lightest but your not a lightweight and if a old guy like me can handle it, you won't have a problem. 
   
I remove the stern seat so I can slide the heaviest pack to the bow to trim it out.
   
I prize stability and ease of packing over raw speed but as always others will disagree.

  Empty the SR weighs about 40#. Down the road, you want to bring your kids you'd have plenty of room do it. You can get snap-in center seats to make it a 3 man canoe.

  When it comes to toughness for the price I think SR is hard to beat. It's the go-to rental canoe for a lot of outfitters so that tells you something.
  Many outfitters sell used SR's after the season. I'd contact some and ask about it.

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Big Flounder wrote on Feb 12^th, 2020 at 7:34pm:


    You need to get a ballast bag to fill with water and put in as far forward as you can. Something like this works well.

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I think you can get a solo and a tandem for $2000, used, and some looking. I'm 230, 6-2, prioritize stability over speed, and love my SR Tranquility.  34 pounds or so. Hard to find used - I got very lucky from a outfitter changing from SR to Northstar. 

If you're not portaging the tandem or larger, aluminum with the grand kids makes sense and ought to find a used one well under $1000.

Check all the outfitters reqularily would be my advice. Most go in the fall but I see some left.

I have paddled a lot in solo in both tandem and solo boats.  So many people go for the true solo for reasons.  Usually a true solo will have tumblehome in the center making it easier to reach the water without banging your knuckle on the gunnels.  The seat is generally lower making the boat stable but it will be narrower using up that stability. While we are talking about stability the boat that is stable for me (180 pounds) will be much less stable for you. Another way to think about it is weight below the gunnels makes the boat more stable weight above the gunnels makes the boat less stable. Most of the passenger weight is above the gunnel.
Let’s talk gear ratios. If you are on a 15 speed bicycle and it is hooked up to pull a loaded 18 wheeler what gear are you going to put it in?? So you are thinking what’s that got to do with canoes.  A bigger canoe is harder to move through the water (think barge with an 18 wheeler setting in it). The tandem canoe (think barge) is bigger so you will need a longer paddle to reach the water. The longer paddle changes the gear ratio in the wrong direction. 
I own and sometimes paddle a Bell Magic.  Many people describe a Magic’s handling as twitchy. Which means it tips that first few degrees real easy. The bigger you are the more you will notice the twitchiness. I let a 240 LB man paddle my Magic.  He had never paddled a solo canoe and was very uneasy in the Magic.  If you are over 6 Ft lowering the seat a couple of inches would make a lot of difference.  The magic has much better secondary stability.  I can stand up in it and paddle it in calm conditions. For most of my trips the magic is a bigger boat than I like and so most of my paddling is in a smaller solo. With your size the magic would be about the correct size boat but you would probably want the seat lowered.  I know large man finds it easier to get up with a higher seat position.  I went on a trip with a large man who had raised his seat 1&1/2 inches.  After we got him out of the 35 degree water he lowered it back down.