The Strieb family enjoys working together while assisting their customers with choosing the right equipment. Matt and Mandy are shown with their children (l to r) Dane, Evie and Keil. (Photo by Jacob Shaffer)

Fluid Fun Canoe and Kayak Sales is located at 609 N. Division Street in Bristol, just north of the St. Joseph River bridge. There customers will see an inventory of 400 boats, making Fluid Fun the largest paddlesports dealer in the entire Midwest.

The owners, Matt and Mandy Streib, sell 600 boats each year. Hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday. (“On Sunday we’re paddling,” says Matt.) Call 848-4279 for more information.

Although the store has an interesting website (www.fluidfun.com), the Streibs do not sell boats online, because different needs make it impossible to select a boat properly without taking it for a “test drive.” Since the store has access to the St. Joseph River, customers can fulfill the motto “try before you buy.”

In order to understand the customers’ needs, sales staff members ask questions of prospective buyers, such as: Why do you want a boat? Do you live on the water? Do you plan to transport the boat? They then look at various boats, trying them out for weight, size, comfort, and handling. Boats can range in price from $265 to $4,000, so choosing the right one is important.

The sales personnel at Fluid Fun have an extraordinarily high level of experience and expertise to offer. Terry and Jan Streib, Matt’s parents, started selling canoes out of their back yard in the early 1970s. They acquired the Fluid Fun name in 1978, sold the business to Matt a few years ago, and still help with sales. Both of them, as well as Matt and Mandy, have held national championships in paddlesports competitions. All the Streibs continue to spend time in their beloved boats. Matt says that he is “on the river 300 days a year.”

Matt recently attended a successful boat show in Indianapolis, and is now preparing for a show in Fort Wayne. The Outdoor Sports, Lake & Cabin Show will be held March 12-14 at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Matt plans to offer special deals on the 30 boats he will display there. He will also offer one “Show Stopper” each day for the super low price of $175, on a “first come, first served” basis.

Matt and Mandy, when not paddling, are busy raising the next generation of water enthusiasts, Dane (2 ½), Evie (14 months), and Keil (two weeks old). Matt also has a daughter, Kinsey, who is a communications student at Purdue University.