right...aluminum all the way. 16' is a good size. they are a lot lighter than glass so a lot easier to manage, especially when loaded. be sure to consider storage in the boat for your gear. my boat has zero storage, which sucks when you are doing a multi-day float.
a seat behind the oarsman's seat is good to have too, especially for flyfishing....1 guy on the bow seat, 1 on the stern and 1 rowing.
wther they are better than a raft is up to the guy on the sticks i think. i'd rather have a driftboat, but the one raft i was in was pretty damn cool....more maintenance though it seemed like.
a great yearly trip for us is from ringer loop to roza dam...overnighter with gear in the boat. i don't need to stuff everything in dry bags for this trip, where i would in a raft.
