WAVEWALK FISHING KAYAKS BLOG » kayak ergonomics

W Fishing Kayak Rigged For Oceanographic Research

W kayak — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:51:56 +0000

Peter Traykovski is an oceanographer who specializes in Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering. He works at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. WHOI is the world’s largest private, non-profit oceanographic research institution, and a global leader in the study and exploration of the ocean.
Peter is also an avid kayaker and surfer…
Peter needed a small, lightweight, stable, dry and comfortable boat, in which he could spend long hours in the ocean. After testing various options, he chose the W500, which he outfitted with a 2hp 4-cycle Honda outboard, as well as various scientific instruments. Says Peter: –

Working great so far… Have it mostly rigged for science, just a few finishing touches required.
Did a quick survey of Woods Hole Harbor last week with the Honda motor and the Hummingbird sidescan and was pleased with the results. Put some sump pumps in tonight for keeping water out in rougher conditions. Just need to finish integrating the RTK GPS and will be all set. I am shipping it to North Carolina for a project studying a tidal inlet next week so that will its first major test. Will send some more pics when I get a chance.
Peter

W kayak in the surf - Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Woods Hole harbor, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Captains Chair In Texan Fishing Kayak, By Rolf Hogfeldt

W kayak — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:20:24 +0000

Bob and I did do the Demo Day at the bayou last week but due to weather conditions, we had to scale it back to one day. Anytime we can get out on the water, it’s a “good thing”!
I stopped at a Wal-Mart on the way and picked up this white patio chair for $8.88 plus tax.. We now have equipped a W-kayak with a Captains Chair for under ten dollars!!

It’s actually very comfortable to paddle in and very stable on the water. I think the stability is due to the fact your body weight is distributed over a larger area because of the placement of the legs/feet of the chair.
I thought it would have been more “tippy” because you are sitting a few inches higher than the saddle but the opposite is true.
Also attached is one of the other reasons I love being on the water… The wild life on the bayou is much different and the only real way to get close to it is to be on the water.
Rolf
R & B WaveWalk of Houston, Fishing Kayaks

Ted Stevens, Stand Up Kayak Fly Fisherman, Florida

W kayak — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:06:59 +0000

Here are pictures contributed by Ted Stevens, courtesy of Gene Andrews, W fishing kayaks dealer in Palm Coast, Florida.

Ted is a fly fisherman who practices sight fishing: He paddles his kayak standing, and scouts for big fish (e.g. redfish, tarpon). He wants to stand as high as possible, since this extends his range of vision. Once Ted spots a fish, he instantly casts a fly at it.
Many fly kayak anglers and reel anglers sight fish while standing comfortably in their W kayaks. However, Ted wants to stand higher, so he can look further.
Unlike Kevin, who fly fishes the flats standing on top of his W kayak saddle without using outriggers, Ted added both a pair of outriggers and a frame to his W500. This setup puts him about 15″ higher than he would have been if he stood on the bottom of his W kayak hulls, and he’s perfectly stable.
The drawback of paddling from such a high level is that you lose some leverage on the paddle, so you can’t go very fast. However, if the water is shallow enough, you can push pole, like Kevin does.

Safety:

Standing as high on top of such a small vessel as a kayak means that sooner or later, the fly fisherman is going to lose their footing, or lose balance, or both – It’s a statistical fact, and every experienced angler knows that “Stuff Happens” is the rule out there, on the water.
So the real question is not “What if” but “What happens when” (-get the subtle difference?…) -
When you stand up on top of a conventional fishing kayak (SOT, sit-in, or ‘hybrid’), you need to somehow manage to fall on your knees, or on your butt, and regain your balance instantly. Good luck with that! Although it never hurts to try, you’re more likely to find yourself in the water.
But things are different when you’re standing high on top of a W fishing kayak, as Ted does: He can drop on his kayak’s saddle, with a leg in each hull, and stabilize himself while he’s in the Riding posture, which is similar to riding a jet-ski, a snowmobile, an All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) – or a pony. In other words, it’s the most stable, and most powerful position you can hope to be in when you’re trying to regain balance and control in your kayak. When Ted wants to switch from standing to sitting, it’s just a matter of hopping down -

Dad & Son in Kayak Fishing Trip, By Jeremy Knight, Tennessee

W kayak — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:24:48 +0000

My dad and I decided to take the Wavewalk kayaks out on Tims Ford Lake.
I never imagined it could be so much fun! We were able to get the Wavewalks in places we can’t take our other boat.
We fished with small yellow and white jigs using the trolling method. We threw our lines out and paddled the Wavewalks so the line would trail behind the kayaks. We caught over a dozen fish in a very short amount of time!

We decided to race back to the dock on our way in. I took the lead but eventually looked up to see Dad passing me up. He had the long W paddle with him which allows you to stand up while paddling the W kayak. I couldn’t believe he won! Of course, I had to take my kayak back out for a second just to see what an advantage paddling while standing up would give a person.

The Wavewalk kayaks are very easy to load/unload, and maneuver in the water.
I was very comfortable while fishing, and I loved the fact I could stand up if I needed to.
I can’t wait for some more adventures…

Jeremy

Tennessee Fishing Kayaks

Lawn Chair in Fly Fishing Kayak…

W kayak — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 14:47:41 +0000

Following a comprehensive article about DIY W kayak seats that Sungjin recently published, here’s our little contribution -

The fly fisherman demonstrating the seat and the kayak is Craig Masterman.
Craig shows that although this seat setup isn’t ideal for seated paddling, because of the huge armrests, it’s still OK, and there’s no problem paddling standing. The seat certainly provides maximum comfort, and when it comes to fishing – no problem whatsoever.

And this is the movie where these shots were taken from: