I agree that is idea but I did not do that and it fortunately turned out fine. I would not recommend buying a kayak until you have gone kayaking and/or canoeing a few times. But if you have and you know you want a kayak; I think if you research it properly you can be okay without a test drive.

If you have not kayaked and are interested; you should go to Canoe Kentucky in Frankfort; you can test drive kayaks there.