I whole heartily agree with trying before buying, the trouble is fly shops are few and far between in the coastal areas. There are a fair number of shops in the western part of the state, but they typically do not have much saltwater gear. Also, casting in the grass at a shop is way different than on the water, especially of you are new to the sport and do not know what to look for in the performance of the rod.
If you can find a shop with the right gear nearby, great. Another alternative is joining your local Trout Unlimited to see if members will give advice and let you try their gear. Also, site members here letting you try out gear. If you get down around Oriental, let me know, have 11 fly rods between 7-12 wt you can try out.
2015 Pathfinder 2200 TE, Yamaha VF200 SHO; 2015 Beavertail Vengeance, Suzuki DF90;
Jackson Coosa FD; Native Ultimate 14.5; CCA Member