JC,
If you are seriously considering getting into canards, there is a can't miss opportunity this weekend in Falls of Rough, Kentucky. There should be at least one of almost anything everything canard related, and many of the owners would be happy to accomodate someone in yoru position.
You could try on a Veri-eze Long-ez, CozyIII, CozyIV, Cozy540, Velocity, Defiant, and perhaps even a Quickie, Q200, Tri-Q, or DragonFly, Many years there has even been a Vari-Viggen or two.
Sitting in the planes is a small part of the value. Rough River is an event where the pilots tend to stay near their aircraft and they're typically very generous in sharing canard related information and opinions. If the weather is right and you're willing to provide some funding for fuel you may even be able to arrange a ride, which would raise your due diligence to a much higher level.
The event is held within Rough River Dam State Park, which has a runway large inough for our type of aircraft. The designator is 2I3 (two-india-three). If your're driving it's about 90minutes southwest of Louisville.
Phil