The Jersey Paddler Classic Demo Paddle is a demo day where $8 gets you a paddle and a PFD and the ability to just about demo paddle everything one of the largest largest kayak shops in New Jersey has in inventory.  demo day 1Along with company reps and on my side fishing guys representing the products to answer any type of questions you may have prior to purchasing a kayak. The demo was for a full Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM – 3 PM.

Saturday Morning was a cloudy day. Not much of traffic early but as the day went on the sun eventually filled the sky and it was busy for a good 2 hours. There was a lot of interest in the Jackson Kayaks I had brought my brand new 2015 Kraken for demo. Not even paddling the boat yet and that’s what its for! I also brought my personal Big Rig with the Torqeedo Motor for people to demo which may or may not have been the best idea. There was a ton of interest in the Torqeedo as well as the kayaks.

Jersey Paddler provided me with a Coosa and a Cuda 12 demo. It seemed like a slow day but I was told they had over 180 participants registered. In all it was a good day. I packed up everything and went home to take care of the dog.

demo panorama

Sunday was picture perfect weather and it showed. The crowds rolled in in droves! I saw a few people from the day before whom were still undecided. A family strolled up looking for a Big Tuna and thinking they had stocked me with all demos from the shop i told them i didn’t have one but would check on it. They tested out the Big Rig for a little while and while doing that my request for a Big Tuna and a Coosa HD appeared upon request! The family was totally happy after running them through the seating positions the were headed back to the shop the purchase one!

pdler15demoday2The day went on and the Big Rig was in the water just about the entire time. I feel the kids riding it paid their entry fee just to cruise. It was hard to retrieve the boat. I was sidetracked by questions and all kinds of them.  As i sit back here and type this article i find the amount of experience over the years has equipped me with the tools to help those who look to get into the sport. I’m glad to help and share the info I learned by trial and error.

Love doing these days even though it takes up fishing time. To everyone whom I met at the event tight lines!

 

Written by Matt Trucks