KEY LARGO — Visitors to the 12th Annual Florida Keys Paddling Festival, to be held Saturday and Sunday at Florida Bay Outfitters, will be greeted with a wide and eclectic array of kayaks available for test paddles.

"There are so many types of kayaks," said Florida Bay Outfitters co-owner Monica Wohl. "It is all about finding the boat you want."

But in a marketplace packed with 12-foot plastic sit-on-top kayaks, 17-foot fiberglass touring kayaks, glass bottom kayaks and even kayaks that can be pedaled rather than paddled, making that selection can be a complicated process.

At the paddling festival, representatives from nine different kayak manufacturers will be on hand to help make that process a bit simpler. The festival will also feature two kayak/canoe races — the 13-mile Bogey race on Saturday and the 6-mile Bacall race on Sunday. Two-time Olympic gold medalist Greg Barton will defend his titles in both events.

Also scheduled for the festival are demonstrations on paddling techniques as well as more formal clinics to be conducted by Barton and world champion freestyle canoeist Karen Knight.

But the test-paddling opportunities have always been paramount to the festivities.

"The demo is how the event originally got started," Wohl said.

Among the kayak companies sending representatives are Wilderness Systems, Current Designs, Epic and Hobie.

The North Carolina-based Wilderness Systems will be bringing several kayak lines to the event, but their Tarpon series of sit-on-tops has been their best seller at Florida Bay Outfitters.

"It is heavily used for fishing, and we named it Tarpon because we are going after a fishing market," said Wilderness Systems sales representative Frank Stapleton. "But they have crossed over quite a bit. You can snorkel off of them, fish off of them and dive off of them. They are cool and from a safety standpoint they are safe to operate."

The boats, which range from 10 to 16 feet in length, come complete with seat, hatches and paddle parts. Their retail prices range from $549 to $999, Stapleton said.

For a different product entirely, festival visitors can take a run on the Extreme, manufactured by Current Designs.

"It is a boat that is made to go to the extremes. It is for the pretty extreme kayaker," said Current Designs sales representative Tom Foote in explaining the product's name.

The kayak, designed in traditional sit-in style, comes in either fiberglass or Kevlar and measures 18 feet, 10 inches, significantly longer than the standard touring kayak length of 17 feet, Foote said.

"In the kayak world, longer is faster," he said. "This is boat is very efficient, but for the general consumer, the longer you make a boat, the more difficult it is for them. The people who buy the Extreme are usually bestophiles."

The Extreme has a suggested retail price of $2,749 in fiberglass. The Kevlar-made Extreme retails for $3,149

Those searching for something in between the Tarpon and the Extreme might be interested in the Recreational GP, made by Epic. The company is partially owned by gold medalist Barton, who also helps design the boats.

"[Barton's] designs are the best in the industry in terms of performance, and they are also very light," said Epic sales representative Brian Houston.

At 12 feet, 8 inches, the Recreational GP is neither especially long nor short. And the sit-in style boat built with a combination of carbon, Kevlar and fiberglass weighs just 29 pounds. A more expensive all-carbon model tips the scales at an even lighter 26 pounds.

"The GP is a nice, pleasant boat that appeals to many people that are looking for a versatile kayak for day paddles," Houston said.

The standard Recreational GP has a suggested retail price of $1,495. The all-carbon model is priced at $1,895.

Another company will bring a more unique type of kayak to the paddling festival. Hobie's Mirage line, with boats ranging in length from the 9-foot-7 Mirage Sport to the 14-foot-6 Mirage Tandem, can be powered by paddle or pedal. For those who chose the latter option, two pedals inside the sit-on-top cockpit propel fins under the boat in what Hobie representative Paul Jordan describes as a sculling motion.

"With these boats it is a full-body workout," Jordan said. "And when it is pedaled, with your legs being your largest muscle group, you can go farther."

The pedal option has the added advantage of leaving the kayaker's arms free for fishing or photography, Jordan said. The Mirage can even be purchased with an accessory sail for those who would prefer wind power instead of the human variety.

The Hobie Mirage line has suggested retail prices ranging from $1,299 to $1,949. An accessory sail costs $270

Other companies with demo boats at the ready for the Florida Keys Paddling Festival are Hurricane, Ocean Kayak, Old Town, Necky and Perception. Kayaks at Florida Bay Outfitters range in price from $299 to $4,000, Wohl said.

rsilk@keysnews.com