White S4 arrived

By Jack Snapp

Texas

 

Took off from work early to get my S4 on the water the first time.
Arrived at boat launch and five minutes later was in the water. That’s at first! And without getting wet!   🙂
Easy to paddle seated or standing. Only minor issue was tracking in straight line up-river while coasting. Not an issue going down-river.
Shouldn’t be a problem with two people.
Can’t wait to motorize.
Woo Hoo!!!!!

Oh, love the storage. Can pack it at home and then straight in the water. Same when coming out of water. Not like a SOT kayak where you loading/unloading your gear to transport.
That’s a huge plus for me.

 

 

 

 

 


 

Update I

Spent 3 1/2 hours on Lake Dunlap this morning.
Beautiful day. Got lots of stares. Almost constant paddling, seated and standing.
So comfortable!
Could have gone much longer.

 


Update II

Had a blast on the water on Sunday. Just need to get used to steering behind me. S4 handled perfectly, even over the wakes from other boats and jet skis. Got a few stares and thumbs up. Plenty of power from the 6hp Tohatsu to get to my fishing spots quickly. Then, I can tilt the motor up and paddle/pole around the skinny water.


Update III

Got my S4 up to 13 mph, but it runs consistently at 11 mph at open throttle. Just me and light gear on board. Wonder if others are experiencing the same, or better. Love to jump the wakes of jet skis and other boats. But, normally not at top speed. It could easily handle a larger motor.
 

7 thoughts on “White S4 arrived”

  1. Thanks Jack,

    Good color choice for the Texas sun 😀

    You’ll solve the tracking upstream issue by relocating a little forward on the saddle. This will make the stern ‘trail’ a little, so the bow will tend to point into the current. Think ‘weather vane’ but instead of wind you have a stream of water, and instead of a vane with an axle you can change the relative weight of the stern and the bow by shifting your own weight fore and aft.
    Similarly, when you go downstream just relocate a few inches backward, and that would make the stern point upstream and the bow point downstream 🙂
    Here is a link to an article about tracking in strong wind: https://wavewalk.com/blog/strong-wind/ It features a short animation video. The principle is the same for wind and current.

    Yoav

  2. Jack….your comment on being able to pack at home (and that applies to all 3 Wavewalk models) rather than at the launch site is another infrequently mentioned benefit of the W. When I arrive at launch sites ready for a day of fishing, I’m in the water and paddling in a minute or two, while most of my SOT friends are still transferring their items from vehicle to yak.

  3. I agree. People who are used to kayaks’ hatches with their constrained proportions and the bungee cords on the overcrowded “decks” sometimes don’t realize that the storage possibilities in a Wavewalk are almost unlimited.

  4. Jill Toler says:

    That is a beautiful boat! I too appreciate the stow-n-go option of a Wavewalk. I can tuck everything in the hulls and be unloaded and floating very quickly. With my new bag it’s even quicker because everything is in one place.

  5. Anyone transporting ther S4 upside down? It rains when it wants to here in “sunny florida”. Just asking?

  6. Hi Gene,

    Few people transport their Wavewalk upside down, and I’m not sure I’d like to recommend it.
    I think it’s better to wrap a tarp around the cockpit opening, and secure it with bungee cords.

    Yoav

  7. Gene,

    I transport 3 W700s upside down on the heavy duty aluminum speed rail frame on my boat. This acts as shade and rain protection.

    Also, I have a 1983 GMC 4WD S-15 pick up truck that I store and transport my W500 upside down over the cab and on a frame over the bed so the bed can still be used.

    I drilled single 5/16″ holes between the ribs of the single molded saddle bracket of the W500 to release water to discourage mosquito breeding habitat when stored upside down.

    Welcome to Florida!

    Larry J.

Leave a Reply