Thanks for getting back so quickly. Can't check the Youtubes at work - so I will save that for later. Now I am curious about the "Wormchucker" term? Care to elaborate on that a bit? The float bags that I have found on line are tailored to fit in a "split bow" cockpit - so I don't think they will get in the way.
One other thing about the Pungo - it just so happened that REI was running a Memorial Day sale. All hard shell boats (including kayaks) were 15% off. REI carries the Pungo - but only in yellow. So....my plan was to dicker with the staff at Get Outdoors. I figured I could get them to come down some if not 15%. I looked at the argument from their perspective and figured they would counter with "We have the FREE safety course - a $75 value". Maybe "We offer FREE demos every other week" - which I had already been to 2. When I asked the sales guy if they ever came down on price - given that I was buying 2 - He said "No, we never deal on price". So I said, "Even if I can go 3 miles down the road and get them 15% cheaper?" He asked me where and I told him REI - he said there was no way they could compete with a company the size of REI. I expected that comment and I told him I agreed and understood - but "What can you do?" If he had offered to come off - say $100 on the 2 combined, I was willing to accept that deal. If he refused to deal at all, I was going to buy one from him and one from REI. That way I could get a color other than Yellow (laugh - but I am willing to pay for the color I want) and one of us would still get the free safety course. At any rate he repeated that they could not compete and I just replied again "I know, but what can you do?" He then said he would have to go and talk to the manager. Meanwhile, my wife slips off to another area as dickering always makes her nervous. So I linger near the manager and the salesguy (pretending to browse the accessories) and a couple of other sales guys join the huddle - they weren't very busy. I overheard "REI" and "15%" and "Margin Hit" and "We'll have to tell so and so" and a couple of others. The salesguy finally walks back over and I'm expecting a counter - he just says "We're going to honor the deal". So I smiled and said thank you very much while inside I'm high fiven and fist bumpin. Now, my wife appears and said what's goin on? I did my best ventriloquist deal - not movin my mouth - and said tersely, "They're Matchin REI". Now we're fist bumpin and long story short we saved $250 - both get the free course and everybody's happy.
Some times, you're just livin right.......
