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.
your boat experience is requested
Hi Steve.
Have you any experience with the current version Nordkapp? Not a lot of reviews or ‘expert’ input out there, mostly a lot of notes about it’s history and reviews of older models.
I figure you must have paddled most of the boats out there at one time or another and would know something of it’s performance.
Thanks. James
Carlsbad Paddle Sports - Oceanside CA
Used to be in Carlsbad, about a half hour north of downtown San Diego … Dan Carey is a really nice guy and has some great deals on boats, a small operation though.
Kayak San Diego - San Diego Sailing
On Santa Clara Point on Mission Bay
Dealer for Cobra Kayaks, Hobies others
(Kind of pricey for accessories)
Aqua-Adventures San Diego California
At least they used to, I think they have some kind of Rent-to own or pay to demo system now.
Black Creek Outfitters
in Jacksonville, FL (Skinner Road). They’ve got a lake just behind there building and were very nice and accomodating. Super nice staff and I won’t hesitate to recommend them to anybody in the area looking for a 'yak or any accessories (they’ve got tons of accessories).
At my place…
As an ACA Pro-School I typically insist that the potential paddler spend a couple hours trying out a couple of models that we feel will best fit their current needs and allow them to grow into more paddling adventures without their kayak plateauing their abilities. Test paddles are always encouraged and times are extremely flexible. (Translation I’d rather go paddle than do paperwork 
)
See you on the water,
Marshall
www.the-river-connection.com
well now…
do you mean the most recent, as in the one that was at the Port Townsend sympo in Sept?
if yes. it is quite nice if you like the Nordcapp style of boat. the ends are quite thin and choppy/ slicy and give a bit of a hobby horse ride. I (personally) like a fuller bow/stern section and a looser kind of feel.
steve
Mountain Road Trading Post Raymond NH.
– Last Updated: Oct-21-05 6:31 PM EST –
I work there part time. It has a small 1/4 acre demo pond on site. Also a policy of if you rent from us and buy a boat from us within a reasonable time. We'll take a 1 day rental off the price of the boat. We look at it this way. We don't sell the boats they sell themselves. Our job is to just help you get the right boat for you. And that doesn't always mean one of ours.
( Boy thats a shameful plug but it's true)
Shawn- mrtp.net
Monterey Bay Kayaks In Monterey, CA
They do charge $20, but you can try as many as you want.
The $20 is just you don’t demo boats instead of renting them on the wharf. It applies to the purchase