I know you said you didn't want to mess with a blow up, but have you looked at the inflatable pontoon boats? We bought two inflatable pontoon boats that are designed for one person each. We can easily assemble them and take them down as need be. They store right inside the rig so we're not hanging things off of ladders, etc. The DW and I used them for a week long fishing trip last month, and they were perfect. We could store our gear on the back rack, and once we got to where we wanted to fish, we tied them together. She had some difficulty rowing hers, so I bought her a trolling motor to make it easier.