WAVEWALK KAYAKS

We live on a small lake in northern Wisconsin.
My brother, Gary Rankel, just gave me a Wavewalk for my birthday and I’m really enjoying it so far.
I still haven’t figured anything out that’s any better than this setup…my pup sits a bit high, but luckily she’s stayed calm while we’re out there (I haven’t been capsized yet!). So far she’s been great, despite distractions like other boats/waverunners/dogs…
It’s not pretty, but it works for now!

I’ll keep you posted if we rig something up that’s better/prettier.

Thanks for a great product!!!
Kay Rankel

There’s a new article available on the exciting, complex, confusing, and often daunting subject of rigging your fishing kayak.

The article is called Rigging Your Fishing Kayak: Some Basic Practical Advice

The main message it conveys is that there’s no need to hurry and start outfitting your W kayak for fishing as soon as you take it out of the box in which it came, and it’s advisable to use it at least several times as is before you decide if and what type of rigging you’d like to add to it.

The article discusses typical rigging questions like rod holders, paddle holders, rudder, seat, outriggers, motor, anchor, milk crate etc.

We recommend that prospecting clients as well as new owners of W fishing kayaks read it.

-”Here is an update on my newest Wave walk yak, the W500:
I am making a prototype out of wood for the console. I may change it to a diamond plate later.”

-”I want it to be removable, so when I don’t want to use the trolling motor, I can remove the power head.

I didn’t want to add a Dry box/tackle box to the W500, like I did on my W300′s set up, after removing the power board from the head of the trolling motor. I didn’t want the box up there in my way, it makes for easier dismounts.”

-”This time I’m leaving the power head together, just cutting the shaft, and wiring the motor (bottom half) with a quick connect connector, so I can unplug the power head and remove it for just paddling.

Again, this will be a foot controlled steering, leaving my hands free to battle my fish.

I’ll send you and update after I mount my plate for the trolling motor.

Take care.

Rox”

Wavewalk is offering a line of gear and accessories for rigging your fishing kayak.

The line includes paddles, paddle holders, anchors, stake out pole, deck rigging, flotation modules, deck mount rod holders, flush mount rod holders, kayak carry handles, and our Wavewalk hat.

We offer these products as a service to customers who bought a W-kayak from us, and are looking to either extend their basic order, or get spare parts after the initial purchase.

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.

-Dennis Vircks”



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

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.

John’s ‘all terrain’ 2007 W Fishing Kayak:

‘Plastic’ kayaks is a term that refers in most cases to rotationally molded Polyethylene kayaks.
Polyethylene (HDPE, MDPE, LDPE and various commercial names) is by far the preferred resin in the kayak industry because of its superior performance when it comes to shock resistance, durability and overall reliability, but it is known to be quasi impossible to bond. This is because Polyethylene’s surface tension is low, which doesn’t allow for significant chemical reactions to occur, including bonding. The upside of this feature is that Polyethylene has superior resistance to strong solvents, acids, radiation etc., and indeed it is used for making fuel tanks and containers for active chemicals.

When an adhesive’s label says it bonds plastics it normally doesn’t mean Polyethylene.

3M is offering a an adhesive called 3M Scotch-Grip TM 4693 H Plastic Adhesive, and the company states it works for various plastic materials, Polyethylene included.

We tested this product and found that indeed it bonds with Polyethylene, and apparently better than other adhesives we know.
However, in our opinion the bonding is not sufficiently strong to allow use in structural repairs or for attaching accessories to a Polyethylene kayak, except maybe a fish finder, a decal etc., which are not required to support weight or resist even weak pulling forces at any time.

This adhesive could be used to seal rivet and bolt holes above waterline (E.G. with carry handles, rod holders, eyelets etc.). We would not recommend using it for sealing holes below waterline because we’re against drilling holes in kayak hulls below waterline in any case…

We would not recommend to use it for fixing cracks anywhere in the hull, and as far as filling gashes (such as those created by oysters) we don’t see the benefit of it, and we don’t see how the adhesive would stay in its place if it had to resist abrasive forces.

In sum, this adhesive cannot replace ‘hard’ methods such welding, riveting and bolting, but it can be useful in other ways.