Some Truth In Advertising Fishing Kayaks
Advertisers often cross the line between fact and fiction, and sometimes they cross the line between true and false.
For example, a well known kayak fishing store has recently advertised on its website that one of the brands it offers* for sale is (quote): “The only kayak to truly let you stand & fish with 100% confidence”.
By doing so that store made a number of significant mistakes:
First, they openly admitted that all the other brands they have advertised for years as being suitable for stand up fishing in fact do not offer to stand and fish with 100% confidence. This is exactly what what Wavewalk has been saying all the time.
Second, that store is misleading the public to think that particular kayak is safe, while it is far from being so since its outriggers are positioned at the stern, and therefore leave the standing kayak fisherman with no extra buoyancy at all to support him on the sides of his kayak’s middle and front parts, where he’s likely to tilt his boat when fishing. Anyone can see that.
Third, if a kayak fisherman standing on that SOT loses balance, as he’s expected to do sooner or later, he has a metal frame to hold on to, but nothing to fall down on – Assuming that fisherman is holding his fishing rod with both hands (common practice…) he’s likely to fall overboard, as he would from any other SOT or sit-in kayak. In fact, holding on to the metal frame increases leverage on the hull and makes it easier to tilt sideways and overturn.
And last but not least, that store’s statement is obviously false since the only fishing kayak that really offers fishermen to stand up and fish with 100% confidence and safety is the Wavewalk, as anyone can see by watching these movies at the bottom of the article discussing stability in kayaks.
* a sit-on-top kayak equipped with folding outriggers
Tags: fishing kayaks, kayak fishing, kayak fishing standing, stability, stable fishing kayak, stand up, standing
November 4th, 2008 at
That store owners must be really stupid to advertise such things. This is ridiculous.
Cole
November 4th, 2008 at
That ad must make the other kayak manufacturers selling through that store feel great – What a vote of confidence in their products!
Mike
November 4th, 2008 at
Sometimes the truth is revealed in mysterious ways…
What [that store] is saying is basically that it doesn’t offer safe stand-up fishing kayaks besides that thing. -Interesting!
I’m amazed anyone could be that thick-headed.
As for the [advertised outrigger kayak] itself, anyone looking at it can spot the problems at first sight. You don’t have to be a naval designer to realize it can’t let you fish standing in confidence, and you obviously can’t paddle it when the outriggers are open.
Bob
November 4th, 2008 at
stupid ad, stupid store
Warren
November 4th, 2008 at
What a kickass article!
Wavewalk, the others talk the talk but you’re the only one to walk the walk
Marco
November 4th, 2008 at
I’d like to see the look on the faces of the other kayak manufacturers who sell to that store, once they see that ad. I’ll bet they’d be furious.
Graham
November 4th, 2008 at
Furious? I’d say those other kayak manufacturers were humiliated by their own dealer.
November 4th, 2008 at
Nice catch! this is one of the funniest posts I read on this blog
Blue
November 4th, 2008 at
I found the page on that store’s website (thanks for the tip
) and it says: “[name of folding outrigger kayak brand] Kayaks provide the ultimate sporting platform…”
Isn’t it funny that so many fishing kayak manufacturers find it necessary to use the adjective ‘ultimate’ when naming or describing their lackluster products? It’s like a mantra that everybody keeps repeating until it wears out and loses its meaning.
I know Wavewalk’s website pretty well by now, and I didn’t find the word ‘ultimate’ anywhere on it. I guess they don’t need to use empty words because they have the real thing.
Pete
November 4th, 2008 at
Just another dealer advertising just another ‘ultimate’ fishing kayak.
Just let them talk -
Just me
November 4th, 2008 at
Well, this yak has been around for a few years now.
It was first advertised on DirectBoats.com.
Sure, you may be able to stand, but it’s still a SOT!
Wet Ride, and an unstable casting platform, hence the
holding/leaning bar. Without it….SPLASH!!
At least in My Wave Walk, if I loose my balance, all I have
to do is sit down.
In that yak, your are going over board.
And wakes are not a problem in the WW.
You don’t get wet in a wave walk yak from wakes.
Lets see that yak take a big wake.
Where are you gonna store things?
On top, where everything is exposed to the elements, thats where.
Don’t you worry your pretty little yak Yoav, this yak can’t hold a candle next to the Wave Walk.
Rox
November 5th, 2008 at
Those [folding outrigger kayak] movies are interesting in that they don’t show much paddling only fooling around with their wings. In watching the standing fishing shots all I could think was what if you get a larger fish. Landing it properly cannot be done standing in a position like that. You would have to sit and then deal with the fish at that point both the wings and standing support arm are in the way of a serious tangle or even broken rod.
I can guarantee yanking yourself up and then sitting down again would get pretty old after a time. Also at 14 feet it’s going to be a tank working tight areas like creeks.
The W wins on simplicity and ease of use for sure.
The other thing it really points out how the W riding position is so good. I keep mentioning that since it is such a difference in power for casting, nothing else has that advantage not even larger fishing boats with motors. I rarely fish standing in the W unless it’s for a look see to an area I want to check out. The reason is mainly the deck gun quality of the cast in that riding position. Of course if I am standing and hook a fish dropping to the saddle is seamless and as easy as bending my knees. I’ve fished from boats of all sizes from bass boats, bay boats, tiller handle boats, stick steering boats, cruisers, rowboats, belly tubes, rafts, canoes, and kayaks. The feel and locked in sensation of power can be found in only one place, the W. You have invented a truly world class fishing craft, right now I don’t see anything that compares.
Jeff
November 5th, 2008 at
Thanks everybody, I appreciate it.
Rox, it’s the first time anyone calls the W-kayak a ‘pretty little yak’…That’s really sweet of you!
Your electric trolling system pictures are great – I’ll get down to work and hopefully edit a new, interesting web page -
Yoav
November 5th, 2008 at
the W has nothing to worry about. SOT kayaks do not compare in comfort or fishability, and this design might be a liability when hooked into a decent fish.
The W is the only choice.
November 5th, 2008 at
That winged s.o.t isn’t interesting, and doesn’t leave an impression of confidence. Let them fight between themselves and shoot themselves in the leg. Sometimes fish tales can be fun, but facts are stronger than fiction.
November 6th, 2008 at
Yeh, I agree that ad is not only misleading, but totally false. I’ve regularly seen their ads in my fishing magazines so they must spend quite a lot on advertising. Perhaps they’re just comparing their kayak to the many “usual” sit-inside or sit-on-top kayaks that offer no hope for standing.
I participate in kayak clubs, am on the water a lot in popular kayak fishing areas north of Tampa, and see many fishers in “normal” kayaks where standing is not an option.
Yaker-Fishers routinely stop me to inquire about the Wavewalk and I always mention how great it is to be able to stay warm and dry (especially now as cooler weather sets in), to have so much dry storage space, and to be able to move around and stand. One thing you probably can’t mention on your website is how great it is to be able to stand and take a pee when you really need to – or how great it is to return to shore after 5 or 6 hrs of fishing and not need 30 minutes before being able to stand upright, especially old folks like me with bad backs.
I always mention your website.
You have a great product,
Gary
November 6th, 2008 at
It seems like everybody here knows what kayak fishing store posted that fallacious ad on its website, and what the name of that folding outriggers s.o.t yak is.
Why don’t you allow saying their names openly?
Marco
November 6th, 2008 at
I don’t believe it could be just an honest mistake on their part. These guys must be aware of the new performance standards set by Wavewalk.
They are purely and simply lying to the public, and Wavewalk should expose them in full.
p.
November 6th, 2008 at
The shameless liars seem to be the people at the kayak fishing store.
The manufacturer’s website states something that looks more like the conventional, rehashed bla bla about fishing standing on a SOT kayak.
This is what it says:
“This is no ordinary fishing Yak. The [name of the 14 ft long kayak] is the first Angling Kayak designed from the waterline up to allow the user to stand, safely, and comfortably, thanks to our PATENTED integrated Outrigger design. Simply actuate the two levers conveniently located on either side of the hull to open the rear Outriggers, and enjoy stability like you’ve never seen in a craft of this size.”
They say “from the waterline up”, which clearly implies they have some reservations regarding the performance
They also say “enjoy stability like you’ve never seen in a craft this size”. Obviously, they are aware of the fact that W-kayaks are stabler although they are smaller.
Ben got an ad by email from that store, which offered that product without mentioning the lies on the ad they put on their website’s front page.
Maybe the ad is just a mistake? In any case, it’s surely not an ‘honest mistake’.
Yoav
November 7th, 2008 at
Maybe instead of “well known” kayak fishing store you need to start writing “notorious”?
Phil
November 8th, 2008 at
The ad is still on the front page of that kayak fishing store website! Maybe the other sot kayaks manufacturers agree that their products are not good for fishing standing?
Marco
November 11th, 2008 at
The reality is that anyone can say pretty much anything, and people need to use extra caution and a serious dose of skepticism when they see such ads. In the case of that particular ad, its content is an obvious lie. It becomes really clear after you carefully watch that manufacturer’s videos.
I wonder has anyone ever seen any fishing kayak advertised as anything but “fast and stable”?? -they all are!!
GG
November 11th, 2008 at
THEY CHANGED THAT AD!
Now it says: “One of the newest kayaks that lets you stand and fish with 100% confidence”…
100% confidence? Is this 100% true?
November 11th, 2008 at
Partially untrue is better than totally untrue, I guess.
Yoav
November 11th, 2008 at
100% confidence? hmm… The demo clips that I watched didn’t even hint to anything close to that! There was one clip with a soundtrack of a giggling guy who sounded almost like a freak
The fireworks didn’t impress me too much. Should have I been impressed by them?
Now they got upgraded, it seems!
“One of the newest kayaks”? Maybe the other “newest kayaks” are those the store offers as stand-up fishing kayaks who didn’t pass the test in the ad’s first version??
This is very funny!
GG
November 11th, 2008 at
Partially untrue is still untrue. However you interpret it, their new ad is still false and misleading.
Paul
November 13th, 2008 at
Interesting discussion! It goes to ethics, and to what consumers can expect from advertisements.
December 3rd, 2008 at
Kayak manufacturers probably know that you can’t fool everybody all the time, but they must be thinking that fooling some of the people some of the time is necessary to keep their business going.
Paul