I want something that is fairly quick as far as acceleration and easy cruising speed (don't care as much about absolute top speed), and is fairly maneuverable. I like the looks of the Murrelet with the revised 'more rocker' hull, but don't know if I'll fit, as it seems directed at smaller women (and men) than me. I think the Arctic Tern 17 is absolutely beautiful, and it is supposed to carve nice turns, but I've seen people complain about it being a bit slow.

I built the standard Tern 17 and paddled it for several years. I think it is an excellent boat, and about the right size for someone of your height.
Slow? Not true at all. It is comparable with any other 17-feet long single chine, Greenland kayak, probably only very marginally slower than Coho, and about the same speed as Murrelet. A strong paddler will cruise in AT 17 at ~6mph, 5mph should be easy for a reasonably trained kayaker, even a not particularly athletic one.

"supposed to carve nice turns". No, not really. It is a strong tracking boat, which is a good thing. It goes in the direction you point it, without the need for constant supervision and corrections. It can be turned, but only when leaned a great deal. If you want loosely-tracking kayak, look at the weak-tracking version of the Murrelet. However, think twice before you opting for a boat like that. A typical kayaker spends vast majority of time going straight, with only occasional turn, hence good tracking is what you need most.

At any rate, try before you buy, and then you'll be able to judge.

On the subject of light weight-I hear you! (65 lbs - ouch)
It is entirely possible to build the boats listed in the Pygmy catalog at their advertised weight, which means sub-40 lbs for AT17 and Murrelet.
It makes no difference how many chines you have (single vs. many)
You join the chines without any tape, just using wires (later removed) and tiny bits of epoxy. Then you fiberglass the whole thing.

This means that what matters is the overall surface of the boat, which may be derived from their volume (see specs on Pygmy website)
That will give you a good estimate of the *potential* weight of the kayak: more volume = heavier weight.
What is ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL is the fiberglassing technique.
See some excellent hints here: http://www.metakrome.com/kayak/light.html
As an option, you may buy just the wooden parts, and get fiberglass cloth of lighter weight separately.

IMHO Pygmy's 8oz cloth is an overkill for use on the deck - you could go with lighter weight cloth and save a pound or 2 without losing much strength.

Finally, I think that you may want to stick with Pygmys. Their designs are truly excellent, and you can't go wrong with any of them. Spreading yourself over too many brands/models may not improve your decision making, only create more confusion.