I've got a Lowrance Hook 4 and I am very happy with it. I've only been out 3 or 4 times with it so I'm still learning how to use it. It has sonar, downscan, and GPS.
What size should you get? Like someone else said, get the largest screen that you think won't interfere with you operating the kayak and fishing. I mounted the Hook 4 very close to me so it's easy to read but I'm already thinking about a bigger screen! I've included a screenshot to show how I've got my screens configured. I can add a third pane but it would be hard to read on this screen.
Should you get sidescan? Definitely if you can afford it. Just because you have it, you don't have to use it but it would be nice to have as an option if you move the unit to another boat and it will be easier to sell in the future.
To sum it up - I bought a 4" unit with no sidescan and I'm already planning to get a larger unit with sidescan next Black Friday. I took this screenshot on Ray Roberts this past weekend. I threw a spoon at the fish on the graph and caught a couple of nice crappie. If there were any bass, they weren't biting. Ironically, the only bass I caught was almost 7lbs and was close to the bank so the fishfinder wasn't much help except to show water temp.