In the past I have paid no more than $25 to demo a boat. This guy Sea Kayak Georgia wants $200 to demo an NDK boat. I speculate the trim is all gold plated! Must be all carbon fiber too.
seakayakgeorgia.com/skuk-kayaks/
why sell them if you get 200 for demo
They claim to carry the “full line”, but I don’t see the Latitude listed.
Two hundred bucks for a demo? And if you buy one, they refund only $150? Not very consumer friendly.
I just read the website and I get the sense people were using “demos” as free-rentals. I’ve never seen an offer of free lodging for purchasers before either.
I’m loyal to the River Connection, but this sounds like a great shop for Southeastern paddlers.
ABZ
The site says they “may” arrange free lodging, not that they will. Even so, if you decide to buy the kayak you are required to pay Sea Kayak Georgia $50 for that privilege as they withhold the amount from your $200 deposit. Really?
I’ve not paddled in the south so maybe that’s the way things work down there.
I have never paid anything to demo a boat either in Arizona or California. But in Georgia you pay $850 ticket for going 4 miles over the limit!
@Rookie said:
The site says they “may” arrange free lodging, not that they will. Even so, if you decide to buy the kayak you are required to pay Sea Kayak Georgia $50 for that privilege as they withhold the amount from your $200 deposit. Really?I’ve not paddled in the south so maybe that’s the way things work down there.
Tybe Island is tourist central for Savannah. I suspect they have more lookers than buyers and some creative abusers wanting to get a free demo rather than a rental. I’ve never been to this shop. Personally I build mine.
We bought my wife’s Valley Etain at Sweetwater Kayaks in St Petersburg Fl. With an appointment they measured her for the right size kayak. Then they let her try out the fit on some suggested boats in the shop. We settled on three. Those three were loaded up and taken to the local launch. Where she was allowed unsupervised access to the three kayaks for try out as long as she wanted. I can see that being abused. We bought the Etain, paddle, pfd, etc that day. I’d say they likely expended $50 worth of labor, depreciation, etc. I recommend Sweetwater Kayaks.
I would never pay to demo a boat, but if they allow unlimited time, etc. I can understand why they would treat it more like a rental situation. For some folks it might be money well spent, because without a lot of experience, it might be difficult to know exactly what you’re looking for.
Their website offers full day rentals of composite boats for $75 under the following condition: “The ability to perform self and assisted rescues is a prerequisite for decked boat rental.” That makes sense given their location. I can understand the $200 demo fee to keep out the riff-raff, but paying the seller $50 in order to buy a new NDK kayak at full retail price is fiscally irrational. It doesn’t have fairy dust that makes it more special than any other kayak that fits your body and needs well.
Frankly, if I were to ever take on a long road trip to demo and buy a kayak, I’d head to The River Connection in Hyde Park. Marshall won’t charge me $50 to buy a boat from him.
One time I did rent a boat for a full day demo. That was a good way to thoroughly check it out under a variety of conditions.
@RikJohnson said:
I have never paid anything to demo a boat either in Arizona or California. But in Georgia you pay $850 ticket for going 4 miles over the limit!
Time to move that’s insane
I’d pay 50 bucks for 1/2 hour trial with the understanding it comes back as it left, but that is it.
@RikJohnson said:
I have never paid anything to demo a boat either in Arizona or California. But in Georgia you pay $850 ticket for going 4 miles over the limit!
I traveled 3 times to Georgia this year going the whole length of I 95 never had any trouble with speed. I know I was going more than 4 over the limit.
@RikJohnson said:
I have never paid anything to demo a boat either in Arizona or California. But in Georgia you pay $850 ticket for going 4 miles over the limit!
Only if you are from out of state 
White Squall Paddling Centre (Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada) offers “Up to 3-days rental credit if you purchase any boat within 7-days of the rental”
…meaning that once you’re pretty much decided on the boat you want to purchase you can take it out in a real tripping situation by renting it (selection may be limited to rental/demo fleet). Then if you do decide you like it and want to buy it (or a different boat) they’ll give you credit as indicated. Its a free multi-day demo!
No direct affiliation, just satisfied enough with them to give a free plug.
You can also go there any time they’re open and test-paddle (for free) any boat in their rental/demo fleet right from their shoreline on a small lake.
The $200 demo fee seems to only apply to NDK boats - generally expensive composites. Daily rental on composites there is $75, not $50.
Presumably if they have the boat you want as a rental, you would just rent the boat, not demo it. But if they don’t have as a rental, you then are asking for them to take a brand new boat off the shelf and let you try it in the water. This has a great chance of something happening such that they can’t sell it as new as easily. I am guessing this is why they have the $200 ($50 non-refundable) demo fee.
That said, I would definitely think twice before paying the demo fee. And about the $50 non-refundable.