Wavewalk Kayaks

Recent drops in fuel prices make it easier for the trucking companies, and eventually they trickle down to us.
Wavewalk has lowered its shipping prices for its kayaks twice in recent weeks for all continental US destinations and Hawaii.
These are the new prices for shipping a single kayak to your home address, effective today:
Northeast: $165, Midwest: $175, Southeast: $175,
North Central: $195, South Central: $195, Northwest: $225,
Southwest: $225, Hawaii: $455

Yoav

Doug Hord is a W-kayak fisherman from Long Island, NY, who got his boat early this year.

Here’s what Doug writes:

-”Just came in from a couple hours in the inlet after work — 1 14# bass.  Got a 30 and a 16 last Sat night.  I don’t fish from it too often; I might throw a swimmer out on my way to and fro.  For the season so far I have around 75 bass over 10#/30″.  I’m running second place in the season long New York Surf Fishing contest.  I’m totally satisfied with the Wavewalk.  If I wreck this one somehow I’ll order another within a week.  It gets me access to good fishing areas and it gets me away from the crowds.  Only ‘problem’ is I put a couple pretty deep gouges on the bottom while fishing in mussel beds and around rock jetties –
Doug”



Here are Jeff’s latest reflections on this subject:

-”The Wavewalk might work well as a craft rowed forward.  I noticed on the web there are actually a few sites that have such arrangements in canoe type craft or skiffs.  What struck me was actually a movie I remembered from maybe 20 years ago where the title character was escaping pursuit through the Louisiana swamps in such a boat.  Called a “Stump Jumper” it allowed the user to go over logs and other shallow obstructions. Facing forward of course they could be seen and the best path over them decided.  The W-kayak should handle that task better than almost anything else out there right now.  Mounted in front of the user on the seat such a device if not too heavy might work.
For fishing there are times rowing works pretty well, trolling comes to mind.  Years ago at the place we go in Canada rowing was the preferred method for trolling weedy bays.  Since trolling motors were rare and the outboards of the day would not run smoothly at lower speeds rowing handled the task.  For regular fishing not trolling oars do get in the way.  Anything that can snag a line will at some point.  Shipping the oars or swinging them in the boat helps but they are still in the way.  By the same token a paddle kept across the middle is almost as bad.
I liked the one fellows approach to rowing the W.  For freshwater and bass fishing it has some merit since the fish are more easily landed.  His set up is just one more example of how expandable the W is and you have grown the line up of real world fishing boats.  –Jeff”



Here’s a new message from Wayne:

-”I had a good day today, caught 15 bass but no lunkers. I am sending you some more pics:

This is how I mounted the oar locks.

One is of the window weight anchor, lure used to catch bass , and the kind of fish attractant I like called Mega Strike that I have to buy off the web.

The blue tool holder is made from a 5 Gal bucket tool bag,  I cut it in half and mounted it with a strip of 1 in x 1/8 aluminum. Works great for me.

-Wayne”

Hi,
First of all that rowing piece is interesting. I think the W would be pretty easy to row. I got to thinking about a sculling oar at the rear, that might work as well. Also at one time there was a rear paddle/oar that attached like a trolling motor for silent going before the days of the electric units. I’ll have to see if they are still around on some fashion. I sent you another video this time landing a flounder.
Yesterday the fishing was fantastic. I managed 4 nice flounder all about the same size, 5 sea trout, and a half dozen ladyfish. It’s good to see the game fish again as it indicates the area is finally coming back from the red tide last year.

Attached is a closeup shot of a Gulp shrimp on a jig head in a trout’s mouth and one of the trout on the seat. You can really see those nasty little fangs.

Coming in the wind had kicked up some but the wave action was like a washing machine thanks to a whole line of boats coming into the bridge area at the same time. These were big ones all over 30 ft and they kicked up huge wakes in the process all of which made the water very choppy. The W handled it without pause and not one drop got inside except from the paddle shaft. The reason I commented on this was a fellow yaker saw me me heading in and was amazed I didn’t swamp the W or get it filled with water. He said at times I disappeared into the waves with only my head and shoulders showing. As far as I was concerned I was only worried about hitting a rod tip on the low hanging trees on the way in.

Jeff

Following my request, Wayne was kind enough to send us this video showing him using his unique rowing Wavewalk fishing kayak equipped with outriggers he designed and made by himself.

The video shows how efficient the oars are when it comes to directing the boat, and how Wayne uses one hand to hold his fishing rod while the other hand maneuvers the boat precisely using one oar at a time:

Wayne says that in the past six decades he’s fished from every possible small boat, including canoes, kayaks and jon boats, and according to him his Wavewalk is the “best one man fishing boat out there”.



Wayne Taylor is reporting from Florida:

-”I went this AM and caught some bass. It was very windy and the oars saved the day. I caught all the bass on Zoom Vibra-tail worm,  white and no weight.”

Thanks Wayne!
Using oars for correcting the fishing kayak’s position under wind seems to offer certain advantages over the use of an anchor trolley system for this purpose.
Anchors are alien to traditional kayaks as much as oars are, but luckily there are creative fishermen that find ways to make these things work together. This is one of things that are fascinating about kayak fishing: It’s constantly evolving, both in methods and gear.

Wayne Taylor from Florida outfitted his Wavewalk fishing kayak with a pair of DIY outriggers and oarlocks (read more about this boat). He sent this picture today with a short report:

-”I went fishing today with my wave walk. The oar concept works great for me as I fish small bodies of water.  I’ve tried the trolling motor concept and it was too much weight and hassle for me.  The issue about the oars is, I can make minor corrections to my position without laying my rod down. Using one oar at a time etc.”

Judging by Wayne’s catch, his concept works pretty well, doesn’t it?


Mark Benning is an outdoor sportsman from Welland, Ontario.  He’s also an avid fisherman who got his W kayak not long ago.

Being 6′ 4″ tall he needs a somehow longer paddle - a 9′ 8″ Wavewalk PSP in this case.

Mark also has the body type that matches his height, which makes him weigh 240 lbs, and consequently makes the W kayak look a bit smaller than it looks when other people are paddling it.

Mark is learning about the different paddling positions, and improving his W kayaking technique.




Dennis Vircks is a saltwater Wavewalk kayak fisherman from Huntington Beach, California.

Dennis contributed his kayak review to this website, and many excellent outfitting and rigging ideas, such as this ’storm proof’ paddle holder system:

As it’s easy to see, this paddle isn’t going anywhere even when Dennis is fighting a fish or busy with his electric trolling motor, and even if the kayak is in turbulent water.

This picture shows the inner side of the cockpit, where Dennis attached a Nylon eyelet that serves as an attachment point for the hook on the bungee cord:
The hook prevents the bungee from coming out of its place when holding the paddle.
The last picture shows the paddle holder from inside the cockpit, with the hook securing the bungee to the eyelet.



Dennis Vircks is a saltwater kayak fisherman from California who wrote a review on his Wavewalk fishing kayak. Dennis rigged his W kayak with a simple and effective means for long distance carrying:

-”I have to take the Wavewalk over long stretches of sandy beaches in order to launch and retrieve.

Even when empty this is a chore.

Here is my solution: One large low inflation tire placed between the stern hulls.

I chose a Wheeleeze WZ1-30UB.

The axel is a ¾ inch aluminum cylinder 29 inches long.
Holes were drilled to accommodate two hitch pin clips.

Here is how I attach it:

Take about nine feet of the anchor line (it’s already there so you might as well use it).
Make a double loop around the end of one axel.

Run the line through the provided “EYE”.
Run the line across the hull through the other provided “EYE” make a double wrap around the other end of the axel and tie off to the cleat, part of the additional rigging.
Lift the craft and bounce it to get the slack out of the line and secure the
anchor end to the cleat.

Here is the good part:

Prior to launch, remove one of the hitch pin clips and the wheel from the axel.

Insert the keeper end of the axel through a bow (or stern) caring strap.

Slide the wheel  back on to the axel, run the axel  through the other caring strap and replace the clip.

You are good to go even into Newport Harbor Channel.

-Dennis Vircks”



Jeff McGovern’s reports from Florida:
-”I shot quite a bit today in just a short time.  The fishing was off the chain, in other words, outstanding.  I had only a few hours but was able to make the most of it. Catching fish with topwater lures is nothing but loads of fun - The W kayak allowed me to cast like a deck gun and really get some distance.”

And here is the movie that Jeff shot:

This is a new demo video showing how to cartop two Wavewalk kayaks on any regular car rack.
Attaching the boats is easy. 
If you don’t feel like using the ‘quick and dirty’ method shown in this movie you can simply slide the kayaks upwards.

We recommend protecting your car paint from being scratched while you upload and download the boats. We also recommend insulating exposed metal parts that might come in contact with the hulls on very hot days using cardboard, foam, or any other type of basic thermal insulation material.
Wavewalk kayaks are guaranteed to fit all car racks.



Those of you who are familiar with this blog already know Jeff McGovern is an expert kayak fisherman from Northeastern Florida, and a Wavewalk Kayak fan who has contributed great kayak fishing articles and reviews, as well as pictures and movies to our website.

When Jeff told me he was coming to Boston on a business trip it was clear we had to meet and go paddling together, rain or shine. Well, it so happened that it rained abundantly thanks to ‘hurricane’ Kyle, but that didn’t deter us, and we grabbed a couple of W kayaks and headed to my favorite spot - the Charles River Reservation.

Well, I won’t tell you any fish tales, and this alligator we’ve encountered on the bank is not a real one. It’s an amazingly realistic sculpture that a local resident put there for everyone to enjoy:

Jeff had read about Treehouse Island in the W kayak review that Adam Bolonsky’s wrote on Wavelength Magazine, back in 2005, and he wanted to visit the place, so we paddled there under torrential rain.

We got to Treehouse Island and landed, and discovered the place was undergoing some renovation, and was a bit of a mess.  The third floor of the tree house had collapsed, and its second floor was pretty much gone too, so we couldn’t climb up and watch the Charles River scenery, unfortunately.

While we were there the rainstorm had gradually weakened, and we continued our paddling trip in clement weather…

Jeff getting ready to launch

After the trip Jeff told everyone that he had so much fun just paddling the W kayak although it had been the first time in his life to be in a boat without taking with him any fishing gear…