Fishing Rowing Kayak With Outriggers
Wayne T’s W fishing kayak is an interesting project from a number of aspects:
He first outfitted it with a pair of large size outriggers because he wanted to enjoy more stability at his advanced age (68). When Wayne is in his boat the outriggers barely touch the water and generate just little extra drag.
Wayne also outfitted his kayak with a pair or oars, with the oarlocks attached directly to the cockpit rim. He explains that the reason he did it is because it gives him better control over the boat than a paddle does.
“This is the best one man fishing boat I’ve ever used and I have tried them all…” He says, and judging by his catch he has evidence to back his words:
When he paddles it he uses a canoe paddle made from his Mohawk paddling kit.
It looks like Wayne used a pair of oars and oarlocks he took from a small dinghy, and all he had to do was to reinforce the kayak’s cockpit rim before attaching them to his boat.
Wayne also chose the simple and easy way to build his outriggers, and you can read more about what he did in this boat review.
Altogether, Wayne’s boat shows that with some planning and no big effort, kayak fishermen can literally transform their W fishing kayaks into a very different type of boat while preserving most of the advantages the original design offers.
Tags: fishing, Kayak design, kayak fishing, oar, oarlocks, outriggers, rowing
May 1st, 2008 at
cool boat!
warren
May 1st, 2008 at
Personally I prefer paddling, and my W kayak is stable enough for me, but what strikes me with this guys’ W boat is that it looks so easy and simple to make such major changes.
May 1st, 2008 at
What impresses me is that although he completely transformed his boat it’s still a cartop boat.
However, I don’t see how anyone could call it a kayak since it’s definitely something else. Even when he paddles it he’s using a canoe paddle!
Q.S.
May 1st, 2008 at
Q.S, I don’t disagree with you, but as I’ve already said on other occasions, the definitions of ‘canoe’ and ‘kayak’ are more useful when viewed as part of a multi-dimensional continuum rather than something absolute.
For many years people have been paddling canoes with long double blade paddles, and there are whitewater canoeists who ‘convert’ certain kayak models into ‘whitewater canoes’ by removing the seat and outfitting the hull with the appropriate arrangement enabling the paddler to kneel (crouch).
The W itself lends itself equally well to single blade and double blade paddling. It seems that paddling with a single blade paddle makes more sense solo, and paddling ‘canoe style’ works better for tandem.
Wayne has introduced yet another dimension by using a pair of oars rather than a paddle, and I think it’s an interesting idea.
I haven’t yet heard of rowing kayaks, but rowing canoes have been around for a while, and there are some rowing catamarans as well.
Yoav
May 1st, 2008 at
Do you see a fast boat style rowing shell w in the future?
May 1st, 2008 at
Absolutely, although we don’t plan to offer such boat ourselves.
May 2nd, 2008 at
This thing looks very comfortable, and more stable than a dinghy or canoe