My biggest word of advise is go paddle several yaks then start to look for the DEAL. Someone could give you a yak but if you don't like to paddle it or can't load it then it's worthless. So go to the local yak shops and test paddle all the popular brands. Then you can make an educated choice on what a good deal is. Take this from someone that has gone through 3 already and am still looking for the perfect yak for me. Good luck and hope to see you on the water.
Greens