The W300 first appeared in April of 2004, and it was called ‘W boat’. Later, its name was changed to W-Kayak, and in May 2009, when we launched the new W500 series, we renamed the early series W300.
The W300 represented a breakthrough in paddling and fishing, from every aspect:
It introduced stand up paddling into the kayak world, as well as stand up fishing. To this date, no other kayak has shown such performance, except the W500.
The W300 also introduced the W saddle, and the Riding position, as well as the freedom to switch between a variety of comfortable positions – none of which is the infamous L kayaking position.
The W300 broke the records in kayak mobility and versatility, and was the first kayak to enable its operator to move fore and aft along the saddle, thus enabling to change the boat’s center of gravity (CG), and thereby gain the best control in strong wind, breaking waves, and fast current.
This was also the first kayak to offer leaning into the turn as means to facilitate turning – a feature that some kayak designers had argued was a fiction, until we proved it to be real in online demo videos 
The W300 gained fans in 4 continents, among kayakers and canoeists as well and anglers, who outfitted it with electric motors, outboard gas engines, and sails.
The W300 made people happy, whether they were 80 years old, or 5 years old. It was used for both solo and tandem paddling, and I loved playing with it in the ocean surf.
The W300 enabled people with sore backs and other health issues to paddle and fish again – Without it they would have had to stay at home, or go in a motorboat.
The W300 took 3 years to design and build. Jo Mares, a boat builder and offshore kayak fisherman from Key West, Florida, said about his 2006 W300: -”…still thrilled with the W and not have been able to improve the basic concept without detracting from it in some other way. The W really is the best”
This was an important sentence for me, since it forced me to work harder in designing the next generation of W kayak – the W500 series. The challenge we took upon ourselves was to improve everything… and today, one year after we launched the W500, it’s possible to say we succeeded:
- The W500 weighs just a little more than the W300, yet it’s much bigger and roomier.
- The W500 is just 12″ longer than the W300, yet its redesigned hulls make it go much faster.
- The W500 is just 3.5″ wider than the W300, yet it’s much more stable, without being harder to paddle.
- The W500 is a true tandem kayak, yet small children and elderly people can control it very easily.
Customers who already owned a W300 and tried the W500 unanimously said that the W500 was much better. Some of them sold their old W300, and some kept them as ‘guest’ boats
New customers kept ordering the W500, and praising it, and the W300 became so much less popular in comparison to the new, bright star, that we finally decided to discontinue it. However, we’ve kept all the customer reviews on it on our website – for sentimental reasons – We simply love this boat
This might be a bit of a tricky (maybe annoying) question, but first, why did you keep offering the w300 for a year after you introduced the 500 series, and second, why didn’t you stop offering it right from the beginning, after you had a better boat?
Pete
Good question!
Testing the new W500 series required a long time. We wanted to make sure that anyone capable of handling the smaller W300 would be able to handle the bigger W500 with at least with the same ease and comfort.
There was also an economic factor – For some time we thought of keeping the W300 as a lower cost option, but right from the beginning the overwhelming majority of clients opted for the more expensive W500.
It is simply a better boat, and luckily, this is also self evident.
Keeping another product line under such conditions meant higher costs for us, with too little advantage for our clients.
When will the W700 become available?
No W700 plans for now, Gary.
Yoav
Just kidding, Yoav. Don’t think there’s much you could do to improve on the 500.
Gary,
If there’s anything in the W500 you think needs improvement, please let me know.
By definition, any design is just another step towards the next design, and there’s no way the W500 would have been that good without people commenting and complaining for 5 years about the W300.
Although personally I prefer compliments, from a professional standpoint both favorable and unfavorable critique are equally important
Yoav
I’m sure you have some interesting stories to tell. From what i remember, this boat got lambasted by all sorts of critics
Figured I should comment here since I still hold the record for longest W300 learning curve. I’m thinking to have my original boat bronzed and then at some point return it to be mounted as a statue outside the W Worldwide Home Office. That boat has loads of good memories in it the best of which was the privilege of getting to know Yoav. You have done the anglers of this time a wonderful service bringing the W to market. Thanks for seeing it through all the headaches of bringing an idea to life. There are growing numbers of fishermen out there with you to thank. Who knows someday maybe if I can ever get you on the water fishing rod in hand (Emmrod of course) you can feel the joy as well.
Thanks ‘Anonymous’
(sounds like Jeff McGovern)
Yoav
Hmm how did you guess?