One Small Fishing Kayak - Two Big Paddlers in Tandem
This movie shows two large size adults paddling the 2009 Wavewalk kayak in tandem, on flat water.
The bow paddle is 6′3″ tall (190 cm), and weighs 245 lb. (111 kg)
The stern paddler is 6′ tall (183), and weighs 195 lb. (88 kg)
Their life jackets, clothes, shoes, paddles and gear add 30 lb. (14 kg)
Total load: 470 lb. (213 kg)
The estimated draft is about 11″
WARNING: The W-kayak in this movie is overloaded, and only two experienced W-kayakers like the ones featuring here can paddle it safely. You should not expect to be able to paddle in tandem in such conditions before becoming a seasoned W-kayaker.
Any attempt to paddle this boat in tandem with two adult paddlers of any size before both of them have gained considerable W-kayaking practice is unsafe.
Tags: fishing kayak, tandem, tandem kayaking
November 2nd, 2008 at
That’s pretty impressive considering this yak is a ten footer, and I can’t imagine any other kayak or canoe that small carrying two large size adults. But how can these two guys fish together from this little boat?
Bob
November 2nd, 2008 at
I agree with your comment.
Fishing is an advanced, demanding application from a kayak, and so is tandem. The combination of fishing and tandem is extremely demanding, and therefore not recommended.
Yoav
November 2nd, 2008 at
I’m impressed. Are these two paddlers professional?
QS
November 2nd, 2008 at
The guy in the back is me. I guess it’s fair to say I’m professional.
and so far I’ve never capsized with a passenger on board…
The paddler in the front is Jeff McGovern, from Florida - a leading expert in pest control, and by no means a professional paddler, although his knowledge about kayak fishing and his passion for this sport make him an expert in it.
Jeff visits us whenever Orkin, the company he works for sends him to Boston on business trips.
Sometimes I take big customers on such tandem trips when I’m demonstrating the W-kayak to them. They are often terrified but always impressed
Jeff’s visit this week was an opportunity to shoot this tandem video.
Yoav
November 2nd, 2008 at
Don’t these kayaks come with flotation on their sides?
November 2nd, 2008 at
They do: All our models feature a pair of detachable side floatation modules - standard, and the E (enhanced) models come with two pairs.
The boat in this movie wasn’t equipped with side floatation simply because we forgot… I guess we didn’t plan on capsizing it
November 2nd, 2008 at
How does the front paddler fit inside the cockpit?
November 2nd, 2008 at
Both paddlers are in the Riding (mounted) position, of course.
The paddler at the front can stick his knees in the hull tips.
November 2nd, 2008 at
The boat looks so tiny!
April
November 3rd, 2008 at
why are you warning against using this kayak as a tandem? It’s obviously fit for two.
November 3rd, 2008 at
Mocca,
The Wavewalk kayak is a great tandem boat, but with two big guys such as the ones featuring in this movie it’s simply overloaded, and you need high-level W-kayakers (or canoeists…) to paddle it this way.
Yoav
November 4th, 2008 at
That’s interesting, 11 inches of draft leave 7 inches of freeboard in that boat, if my math is correct. That’s about what you get in a traditional sik or sot under normal circumstances, when your boat is not officially overloaded.
Mike
November 4th, 2008 at
Mike, I’d say that in case of this tandem movie they have about 3″ of freeboard. Who wants to paddle with the hulls under water and just the cockpit sticking out above the surface?
QS
November 4th, 2008 at
If this yak can carry 470 lbs how come you don’t recommend it for individuals who weigh over 250?
November 4th, 2008 at
We’re just careful in our statements and recommendations.
Big and heavy people can paddle the W-kayak, but they’re likely to face a longer, and sometime more difficult learning curve than smaller paddlers would.
Yoav
November 4th, 2008 at
Do you think it’s possible to load this yak with 500 lbs?
November 4th, 2008 at
It’s definitely possible, but I doubt it’s worth trying:
When watching this movie you can see that although the boat is overloaded the saddle top still remains above water level. This means that at 470 lb. total load the W-kayak keeps functioning as a true twin hull.
If you further load it, the water would reach the arched support ribs below the saddle, and normal flow between the hulls would be obstructed.
Under such conditions the W-kayak’s hydrodynamic performance could be seriously compromised.
Yoav