So, you want to buy a kayak, standup paddleboard, tender or even a boat but you’re not sure which type, brand or model is right for you. Many stores and dealership offer a nice array of products to look at and touch, but few offer the option to test them out.

Demo Days are a great way to sample a variety of products that a dealership has to offer. Certain dates are set aside over the course of a year and advertised in advance to attract interest. Often a collection of retailers get together at a remote location to splash their models in a lake where salespeople chaperone customers on a boat ride. Then benefit to this is that customers can test a variety of brands in one day. The downside is that this competitive environment is akin to attending a political debate where most of the time is spent bashing the competition rather than focusing on the customer’s needs.

Some retailers host exclusive offsite demo day events specific to their brands. This benefit to this is you will get personalized attention and valuable product education. The downside is you can’t try all the makes & models carried in the store’s physical inventory and if you do want to buy anything and take it home, you most likely will have to revisit their physical location several times to buy it and rig it to your specifications.

But some dealers have the facilities host a demo day on-site. This is the ideal way to test and buy your hi-ticket items. You get the combined benefits of 1) Trying out any brand, make & model in stock; 2) The collective product knowledge from their entire staff; 3) The personalized attention from an in-house expert to walk you through any demo; 4) The ability to outfit, rig and set up your purchase in real-time, on the spot; 5) The option to take to home the same day.

Nautical Ventures host a demo day at each of their retail waterfront locations once a month. It’s an ideal way to try new products in an idyllic waterfront setting among like-minded individuals. Demo day events are posted in their website on their calendar of events. You can also sign up to receive e-notices. Over 18,000 people have registered to receive e-notices of these events, mostly from Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Palm Beach residents.