Greensboro, NC
Get Outdoors (Pro Canoe and Kayak) let me use a boat or two. I have also rented boats at a reasonable rate from them.
Kentuky Kayak kountry
In grand rivers ky. they do trips on saturdays that also let people try more than one kayak.
they even will/have take a trailer of difirent kayaks down to nickle branch. so people can try mulitiple kayaks.
Billington Sea Kayaks…
…in Plymouth Mass.
-Florida Bay Outfitters on Key Largo
- Nantahala Outdoor Center, Bryson City NC
- There is one on the Homosassa River, but the name slips my mind now
- Kitty Hawk Kites, Kitty Hawk, NC
Cheers,
JackL
In SW Ohio…
Whitewater Warehouse in Dayton is a great source for demos and rentals of ww and touring yaks.
D&D Outfitters in Cinci also allows demos.
Billington Sea
I work at billington sea kayak in Plymouth mass and we do demos everyweekend saturdays 10-5, sundays 11-4 as long as the pond isnt frozen. our website is www.billingtonseakayak.com
Laacke & Joy In Milwaukee
– Last Updated: Oct-17-05 4:50 PM EST –
It has a great selection of kayaks. It's located on the Milwaukee River and test paddles are encouraged.
Rutabaga in Madison is however my favorite....
Fluid Fun…
…in Bristol Indiana usually has about 350 boats in stock. They are located on the St. Joseph River near the Michigan border and are happy to let you test boats. Great people and a great shop.
http://www.fluidfun.com/
JK
Oakland, Ca.
– Last Updated: Oct-16-05 10:27 PM EST –
California Canoe and Kayak// http://www.calkayak.com
They have a public dock about 100 feet from their front door and allow people to demo their boats. Not sure for how long you can take one out but I do know they let you take it out on the water. I used their demo program where the $200 I paid would give me three months of free use of their boats, plastic I can take away and paddle somewhere else, fiberglass you can't drive away with. At the end of the three months if you buy a new boat from them they put the $200 towards the new boat purchase. Decent group of people.
Hudson Valley NY…Impex dealer
If you’re near Hyde Park NY and are interested in the Impex line of boats go see Marshall at The River Connection. He doesn’t rent but will deduct the cost of a lesson or tour off the purchase of a new boat.
http://www.the-river-connection.com/
As total beginners, my wife and I spent hours with Marshall discussing which boats would be right for us and trying on just about every boat in the showroom. On our first 2hr lesson (which I think ended up being more like 4 hours) Marshall brought along every model we showed an interest in. Four different boats in all.
We have since gone on two Hudson River tours with Marshall, his wife Dorothy, and Mike, all certified instructors, and the nicest folks you could ever hope to meet. The level of personal attention, professionalism, quality equipment, and spectacular paddling environment made our introduction to kayaking a truly enjoyable experience.
…Mike
Massachusetts - CRCK
Charles River Canoe and Kayak in Newton allows test paddles any time they are open (I believe). They also have a wide selection of boats (glass and plastic) in their rental fleet.
http://www.ski-paddle.com/main.html
Ralph
NYC/NJ
Jersey Paddler
Empire Kayaks
Both are listed under “dealers” on this site.
Empire is on the water, so demos are easy, renting is also possible.
Jersey Paddler has the incredible selection, a nearby pond where they schlepp up to 3 choices at a time (there’s a small fee) Tip, get there before 3pm so you don’t miss the last truck to the pond.
Lou
Lou
Southern Oregon - nothing.
R.I.
Kayak Centre, Wickford, RI (Quick drive from MA or Conn.)
Check out Great Lakes Kayak…
in Lake Bluff, IL. That’s in Lake County in the north suburbs of the Chicago region. Great Lakes Kayak offers weekly scheduled test sessions on saturdays and thursdays in season. If that doesn’t work for a customer GLK offers private and semi-private test sessions by appointment any day of the week. Great Lakes is online at www.greatlakeskayak.com. I agree that boats are so specialized and designs vary so much that the only way to make sure you are getting the right kayak is to try before buying. It’s a sizeable purchase for most people and a good shop will take that into account and be willing to go the extra mile to make sure a customer gets what they want and/or need.
Umiak in Stowe Vermont
Vancouver Island
Cowichan Bay Kayak and Paddlesports is year round with on water demo’s available always
OFFSHORE in Vernon Hills, IL
– Last Updated: Oct-17-05 2:09 PM EST –
well, as long as the Chicago area is weighing in...;-)
Offshore does test paddling as well. With a day or two's advance notice you can paddle anything from a rec boat to a $3200 composite boat. Spend some time figuring out what type of boat you need, get some additional input from an experienced salesman/paddler, and narrow your choices down to 2 or 3 models that best fit your needs and your bod.
After that, it's a matter of getting out there on the water and going with your gut on the best choice.
Lee’s Sports on Kilgore in Kalamazoo
They said they would be getting demo boats in - late spring 2006. It isn’t that far off of Interstate 94.
Northwest Arkansas
Lewis & Clark Outfitters in Springdale, Arkansas has a lake next to the store and a good supply of kayaks to try.
Jersey Paddler
My wife and I have bought kayaks twice (that’s four boats) from the Jersey Paddler - with complete satisfaction. The staff there is very knowledgable; my wife and I have paddled with Marty and Al (they are much better than we). If you are seriously interested in some boats, they can arrange for you to demo them in salt water at a mutually agreeable schedule (no need to catch the last truck). They also have a demo day once a year and a Paddlesports Expo (indoors) in March; at each of these events, a significant discount is applied to everything purchased. Their web site is www.JerseyPaddler.com and their telephone number is 1-888-22Kayak. I hope this information is useful to you.