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?
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.
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:
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…
A kayak fisherman recently posted his personal offshore capsize report on a Connecticut fishing blog. It was detailed and well written, and I copied some paragraphs from it that I found particularly interesting.
In his report the writer exposed the brand name and model of his fishing kayak, a top-of-the-line, 34″ wide sit-on-top, but I replaced these explicit names by the phrase “SOT fishing kayak” because the problem described is not necessarily typical to that particular brand or model - It is true for all SOT kayaks.
The writer took care of adding his advice to the detailed facts he described in his own words:
“· ALL SAILORS SHOULD DO HOURLY CHECKS OF THE BILGE.
· I noticed waves splashing over my bow and around my FWD hatch, then draining into the wet well. Wave frequency was every 4 seconds, or so.
· I didn’t hear any unusual sounds, but the wind was blowing and my hood was up.
· I wasn’t worried because my [SOT fishing kayak] had seen much rougher seas and wind.
—
· Shortly after… I noticed that my Kayak wanted to tilt to the left twice
· This had never happened before. · DON’T IGNORE CHANGES IN HOW YOUR YAK HANDLES
· I wasn’t sure why it did this but I decided to make a direct course to the closest part of the island (15º more to the left)
· Now 30 ºoff the seas, the first small wave that hit me capsizing my Kayak.
· I remember saying to my self, “This can’t be happening, my yak is 34” wide…
· When I got back to the surface (Thank you PFD) I said to myself “What is the next step?” I turned my yak over. This was the easiest part of this self-rescue. · PRACTICE THIS EVERY YEAR IN DEEP WATER
· After righting my Kayak I went to clime back into the cockpit (I snorkel often from my YAK) and noticed the draft was low
· Looking into the cockpit I noticed the water level in the wet well was at the bottom of the upper decal (in-front of the drive). This is about an inch higher than when I am sitting in the YAK. (estimated 35-40 gallons of water. · DON’T DISPARE WHEN THINGS DON’T WORK OUT, SELECT A NEW STEP IN THE PLAN.
· At this point I realized that I was not going to be able to de-water with the small sponge I had onboard. · ALWAYS CARRY A KAYAK PUMP.
· (Dude has done this for a long time)
· At this point I started swimming (towing my [SOT fishing kayak]) to the Island that I was heading for. (58º water temp). Current was flowing out carrying me to the left. · SWIM WITH OR ACROSS THE CURRENT
· I remember that from Boy Scouts!
· As I swam I noticed that I was being set to the left, at one point I remember reminding my self to stay focused on my swimming as not to miss the island.”
After reading the entire report, the first question that comes to mind is -”How can water get inside a sealed SOT kayak hull?”
The answer is that SOT fishing kayaks have a number of typical weaknesses:
1. Parting Line: All sit-on-top kayaks are rotationally molded. This means that molds used for molding such kayaks have a top part and a bottom part, which have to be perfectly adjusted to each other every time before the mold is put in the oven. Less than perfect fit can result in a kayak with a hull that’s weak along the line where its top and bottom parts meet, which is called the Parting Line. In some cases a poor fit in the mold can result in tiny holes along the parting line. Parting line weakness and holes are not easy to discover. This is particularly dangerous because a SOT’s parting line is close to its waterline, and often submerged in water.
2. Scupper Holes: SOT kayaks have scupper holes molded into their hulls. Because of the geometry of the SOT hull and problems of heat distribution during the rotational molding process, it’s difficult to achieve optimal wall thickness in the scupper holes’ area. This results in scupper holes that typically have thinner walls than other parts of the hull. Strain put on the scupper holes can cause cracks along the parting line within them, and result in water leaking into the hull. Such cracks in the scupper holes can appear after using them as stakeout pole points, attachment points for wheeled carts, through inadequate storage, and in some cases just as a result of normal use.
3. Wear and Tear: SOT kayaks, like other kayaks, can develop wear-and-tear holes in their hulls in the course of normal usage. Such holes can be caused by cracks, cuts, deep scratches and punctures, but they are particularly dangerous when they occur in this type of kayak because its closed hull makes it difficult to detect them, whether on water or on shore.
4. Deck Gear: All fishing kayaks are outfitted with deck gear, especially rod holders. This requires drilling holes in the hull, and attaching the gear with either bolts or rivets. Any hole in a Polyethylene hull presents a potential problem because it’s hard to seal effectively. Over time bolts can become loose and make the holes lose their water tightness. This problem is particularly dangerous in SOT kayaks for two reasons: One is because their decks are so close to the waterline, and the second being the fact that the closed hull makes it harder to detect leaks.
Unlike kayaking, kayak fishing is more of a stationary sport. This is an important fact because when you’re paddling a kayak that’s partially filled with water it handles differently from a dry one, but the difference is hardly perceptible when you’re not paddling. That is to say that the chances of you detecting a leak in a SOT hull while you’re fishing from it are smaller than if you paddled it, or if you fished from another kayak that does not feature a closed hull.
Scott sent us more pictures from his Minnesota river trips, and here’s one that tells something about stability:
Scott tells: -”I paddled the Maple river in nice calm waters with good depth, my Pepsi was riding securely in front of me along side my camera.”
Well, if you can keep a soda can securely on your kayak’s deck without using a cup holder while you’re paddling down a sinuous river, it says something about your boat’s primary (initial) stability…
We’ve started shipping the new 2009 W Kayak models.
Customers who got the 2008 models were very pleased with the lower and sturdier spray deflector, as well as with the new side flotation, handles and other accessories. This is why it was hard for us to think of new improvements. Eventually, we did come up with such an improvement, although it’s not a major one by any standard:
The new 09′ W Kayak models have more holes in the upper part of their cockpit rim (6 actually). This feature speeds drainage when you overturn the boat after beaching it - All spray and rain water that may have drained down to the bottom of the hulls is drained out within seconds.
An additional benefit from these extra holes is the fact they serve as more attachment points for all the equipment you need to secure to your W Kayak - Whether it’s fishing tackle, or camping and photography gear.
Jeff has only good things to say about this new fishing rod, and if he says it you’d better believe it!
Jeff took his new fishing rod with him to his annual, family fishing trip in the Canadian wilderness.
In this picture he’s holding a smallmouth bass in one hand and his new Fuji fishing rod in the other.
For those interested to know how to attach their W kayaks to the truck bed of their pickup trucks Jeff created this 1 minute video clip, in which he shows and explains how he does it:
Brandon Cutter and friends, from Cape Cod, Massachusetts play with Brandon’s 2008 W fishing kayak in the surf in Nantucket. They paddle in parallel to the beach - hopping on breaking waves. They launch, surf and beach. (1 minute)
One of them easily recovers his overturned boat, and then keeps paddling.
Thrust is a unit of measurement that manufacturers of electric trolling motors for fishing kayaks and other boats use to describe propulsion capability. Thrust is measured in units of weight. In the USA it’s usually pounds (lb.).
This can be confusing, since we often tend to think of propulsion in motion terms, or in horsepower (HP).
Before going further, we’d better clarify what weight and thrust have in common:
This (rather crude) illustration shows a small boat on the water. The boat is equipped with an electric trolling motor and propeller unit whose measurable output is 36 lb. The boat is attached by a line to a 36 lb weight that’s pulling it backward. Since the motor unit can provide 36 lb of thrust it will keep the boat in place: It would be strong enough to counterweight the 36 lb weight, but not strong enough to get the boat to move forward.
Once the battery gets weaker and/or the propeller entangled in seaweed the thrust achieved will diminish and the 36 lb weight will drag the boat backwards.
Similarly, if we lifted the propeller out the water it would still thrust the boat forward, but much less so, since it would be pushing against air that’s hundreds of times less dense than the water this propeller was designed to work in… In this case the 36 lb weight would easily win this tug of war.
Note that this simple model describes thrust without using speed terms.
There is no simple formula that can help you convert thrust to horsepower or vice versa, although the terms are closely related to each other when motorized boats are concerned.
In our case Thrust is the directional force resulting from the rotation of a propeller at a certain speed. Different propellers rotating at the same speed will generate different thrust. The same propeller will usually generate more thrust at a higher rotation speed (RPM).
Horsepower is a unit of measurement for power (it’s quite obvious isn’t it?…), which is the ability to do work. Power is described by weight lifted over a distance during a certain time.
1 HP is equal to the power needed to lift the weight of 550 lb over a vertical distance of 1 ft - in 1 second.
Just by looking at these numbers we can sense that not every human is capable of producing 1 HP - not even for a short period of time. Most of us can produce much less than 1 HP over long periods of time, such as when paddling, biking etc. Estimates vary from 0.2 to 0.4 HP, but that doesn’t mean much for us as individuals.
So, going back to our illustration, if we had a 1 HP gas engine on top of the dam, and that engine was attached with a pulley to the line holding the 36 lb weight, we would be able to lift that weight up at a staggering speed of over 15 ft per second (550:36 = 15….).
Apples to apples: How can we compare the 1 HP gas engine to our 36 lb electric trolling motor?
We need comparable, that is mutually convertible units of measurement. In this case it’s HP and Watt. To convert Watts (W) to a horsepower rating (HP) simply multiply the Watts by 0.00134
In other words, a 750 W electric motor (1:00134 = 746…) produces the equivalent of 1 HP.
In boating terms, Thrust would be the result of applying this power to move a boat through the water by connecting the engine to a suitable propeller and letting it move water… In order for such a comparison to make some practical sense we need to assume certain things about RPM, type and condition of propeller, boat size, boat speed etc… It’s really not that easy.
More specifically, when it comes to electric motors for kayaks you shouldn’t be tempted to get a strong motor that would consume your battery power too fast. If such a thing happens you’ll have to paddle your kayak back with a heavy battery and motor onboard…
We’re getting reports about people sailing, rowing, surfing, paddling and driving their W kayaks… -When we get enough pictures we publish a ’story’ page. The latest story is from Vermont. It’s about Dan Carroll’s electric trolling motor system project for his 2007 W fishing kayak, a.k.a “The Mean Green Machine”. We call it a ’system’ because it includes not only the motor but a clever, user friendly steering device as well.
Dan cruising in his electric W fishing kayak
And here’s the first fish Dan caught in his motorized W fishing kayak
Last year Scott Johnson from Minnesota bought a 2007 W fishing kayak that he’s used for photography and bow hunting (See full story).
This year Scott got himself a 2008 model. With two W kayaks Scott can enjoy W kayak trips in the company of guests, and this time it was his nephew Justin, who’s also an avid hunter and fisherman.
Here is Scott’s report from their first W kayak trip this year: -”The rivers are finally coming down to a safe level but they are very stirred up and muddy. My nephew Justin and I went for our first paddle together yesterday. More major erosion has widened out the river even further. When we started out we were on a 45 degree muddy incline - I positioned my 2008 Wavewalk kayak square to the water and said “This is how you get started” - a little thrust and I was on my way. I hit the water and bounced the front end a little but easily maintained my balance. Justin was grinning, he also managed the water slide entry with no problem. Going with the current is lots of fun but no work… We saw an eagle on a sandbar eating a fish, it took off and when we checked out the carp he was still flipping around. We had our fish poles but the river was so muddy it seemed pointless.
Justin paddling Scott’s 2007 W Fishing kayak
The important thing is we had a great time just cruising down the river. We are both impressed with the Wavewalk kayaks, they are very versatile. Temps were around 90 so a couple hours was enough. The next outing will be an all day, fishing, shore lunch on a nicer cleaner river. I found a manmade lake about 20 miles frome here. I geuss it has a sand bottom and is nice and clear. It has crappies and sunnies in it, maybe some good fishing will materialize soon! -Scott”
John Putnam is a kayak fisherman from eastern Massachusetts who likes to fish the beaches and small lakes in the southeastern part of the state, where few other fishermen venture. The access to those places is sometimes very difficult, and therefore requires an all-terrain solution for portaging.
A kayak or canoe trolley would be expensive and bulky to carry onboard, and might not be up to the task in particularly hard to access spots.
John’s DIY solution is simply brilliant: Use the W kayak as a wheelbarrow, with a wide wheel attached in the space below the hull tips. The wheel is mounted on a lightweight, plastic tube frame, which itself can be attached to the boat with just one strap going between the hulls.
Dan C, a Vermont resident, always wanted to fish standing up in a kayak. He tried all kinds of kayak designs that promised ’stand up kayak fishing’, just to find he couldn’t really stand in them and fish in full confidence - and not even at a reasonable level of comfort.
Earlier this year Dan bought himself a 2007 W fishing kayak, and this time he got exactly what he expected: He can stand up and fish comfortably and confidently even when some wind is blowing, and in the presence of eddies, and he can easily paddle standing.
Read Dan’s W Fishing Kayak Review. It shows some cool things that Dan did with his kayak in terms of rigging it for fishing.
These are pictures Dan sent from his latest fishing trip in Lake Champlain, Vermont.
Dennis Vircks is a saltwater Wavewalk kayak fisherman from Huntington Beach, California.
The hook prevents the bungee from coming out of its place when holding the paddle.
Scott tells: -”I paddled the Maple river in nice calm waters with good depth, my Pepsi was riding securely in front of me along side my camera.”
Jeff’s 
