I have an ancient, Perception Eclipse white water boat. It's relatively high volume compared to today's squirt boats, but still fun enough on moving water.
My boat is fun to watch a novice paddle in flat water/lakes with - river boats by nature are made to turn fast. A novice will think you paddle them like a canoe, and lean into it, turning the boat a good 90º or more in either direction with each stroke :sonicjay:
As for quality, most are made with the same basic materials and/or assembly techniques. If you are just "looking" to get into it, see if any of the local canoe liveries/rentals have any kayak rentals, and try a couple of different types out. It's at the high end/competition levels where things start to get expensive, and noticeably different for the 'purists'.
Also, many of the dedicated outdoor sporting good stores have periodic demo-days. The name of the place in Ann Arbor right on the river escapes me at the moment, but that was a fun place to "browse" back in the day. For what it's worth, many of these shops will also have lessons, where you can learn various self recovery methods, braces, surfing techniques, etc.
I used to know a guy that used a white water boat to surf freighter wakes out in Lake St. Clair... Last I heard, he's working for one of the rafting companies in WV filming rafting trips, and/or doing bungee jumping from the Gauley Bridge.
