Mike Massenberg wrote:

Thanks so much for your advice and recommendations. Since I don't have
tons of money (who does?) I'll try to see what I can find used in the
slightly better quality department.

Mike, I'm glad you followed up. I wasn't sure how to answer before.

Rafts are very very very very slow on lakes, especially when the wind
comes up. They are useful mostly for carrying lots of gear down rivers,
or for running difficult whitewater if you don't know how to kayak.

The idea that you row or paddle them backwards might have come from
the Galloway technique. Nathan Galloway was a western-US boatman who
invented the idea of rowing backwards, away from obstacles. This has
the advantages of slowing you down, and letting you see everything.
Before that (including Powell's famous voyage down the Grand Canyon)
rowers faced upstream and looked over their shoulders to read the river.

Most (all?) people paddle rafts facing forward, although they do
backpaddle to maneuver in whitewater.

So (getting to the point) if you want an inflatable for lakes, an
inflatable kayak or canoe will be faster and easier to paddle in wind.
Check out this website, which has good summaries of various models:

http://theboatpeople.com