I am thinking about purchasing a Delta 17 Expadition .
I have some experience and at age 56 want to get serious.
I am 5'7" 190 lbs (yes i got the belley)
Your thaughts and suggestions would be appreciated.

My thought is that you ought to take a look at nckayaks.com and see what you can get for maybe less money.

Try some different hull shapes to see what you like best. The delta 17 looks to be a hard chine hull which have less primary, good secondary and edge turn nicely without a rudder.
No day hatch is kind of unusual these days. I'm not a fan of the hard hatches and much prefer the kayak sport style rubber hatches.

Man, do you work for NC or something?

No I don't work for NC. Why, do you work for Delta, or something? The man asked for thoughts and suggestions.

Mark, Magooch's enthusiasm for NC Kayaks is the stuff of legend.

Exuberance in the pursuit of a kayak of excellance is no vice and when that kayak is made in America by fine craftsmen it might even be patriotic to extoll its virtues.

I am honored to be recognized by the likes of such a scholarly mariner--Strange Magic--for my modest efforts in endorsing NC Kayaks. It's the least I can do to show my appreciation for the magnificent boat they crafted for me.