WAVEWALK KAYAKS

This review is specific for how I feel about the kayak after my first trip in it.
Please take note that I have no experience at all with a mono hull/regular kayaks. Also please note that I weigh 72kg (160 lbs) and I was with my daughter who weighs 16kg (35 lbs). She was sitting in the front, facing me.
The bay (Ashbridge Bay – Toronto, Ontario) did not had big waves, but there was high traffic, big sailing boats and ski jets.
The w500 kayak was very easy to launch, no wet feet.
First minutes in the kayak I felt weird about its buoyancy effect; When I leaned in one direction (any, front, side, back) the kayak bounced back. This is weird initially, but after few minutes the feeling passed. It’s like starting to learn to ride a bike. The beginning of the ride is hesitant in balancing the direction, same here.
After the first minutes you learn how to sit steadily – the trick is to stay firm on saddle.

Paddling was easy, with no big effort; I paddled for almost two hours continuously with small breaks to watch the birds and fish, without feeling pain or tired.
Based on the bay size I think I put somewhere between 3-4km. Next time I will take the GPS to track the distance.
To change direction by 90 degrees it took only one backwards stroke.
I did not splash any water inside. For a newbie like me I think this is also good.

The paddle bought with the kayak is good, does the job well. I dropped it in the water; It floats and does not retain any water.

The lower part of the legs is well protected by the cockpit.

I did not have any problem in keeping direction while paddling. I found that it is easier and faster to paddle sitting at the rear, and not in the middle of the kayak, but please note that my daughter who weighs 16kg (35 lbs) was sitting on the front.
The kayak absorbs impact, and I think this is good, and at same time it feels rigid enough.
The tips of the kayak are great and very handy for storing stuff, plenty of open storage.

I found the eyelets mounted on the body useful for rigging various stuff.

Now, after the trip, strapping it to my minivan looks easy, using only 6 straps. No additional device to rig on the car, no foam, no special rack.

In my opinion the kayak delivers the features that are posted on the manufacturer’s website. For me, it met all the aspects that I was looking for. I don’t see now major changes needed to the design or rigging. I will mount maximum four RAM 119 rod holders, nothing more. I have a portable fish finder. I don’t think that the kayak needs more rigging or holes.

Overall I am happy with my purchase, and I am looking to have good time with my family using the kayak for fishing and just touring.
As a veteran Wavewalk kayak angler (Rox) said  – Life is good.
Regards and safe paddling from Ashbridge bay, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
29 August 2010

Petru Rotariu

Bob lives in a small coastal town in Maine that’s famous for its fishing, as well as for other reasons. It was easy for Bob to drive down the Massachusetts to test the W500, and it was easy for him to decide to order one on the spot.

Here is what Bob wrote us after a few weeks of using his new w500:

I have been out with my wavewalk 500 almost every day, ocean, lakes and rivers, having a blast and learning its operating characteristics. I’d like to recommend this kayak to those who express more than a passing interest.
I have been wanting to send you pictures, but I find it a bit challenging catching fish on the fly, out in the ocean, and taking pictures at the same time! Guess I need to just get better at this! Yesterday I caught 1/2 dozen stripers, some up to 30″, all on the fly, and , of course, all standing up in the wavewalk. Doesn’t get any better!
Will practice on my picture taking.

And here’s an email Bob wrote to the editor of his favorite fly fishing publication named the Angler’s Report, shortly after he bought his W500:
“Just read your recent report on kayaks…thought you may want to check out Wavewalk kayaks. Just purchased one yesterday after researching and trying out both the [folding outriggers "stand-up" SOT kayak] and the [tunnel hull, 'hybrid' "stand-up" canoe-kayak] fishing kayaks. Their web site is entertaining, especially all the videos. In my mind, this is truly the only standup kayak out there. You actually walk onto to it, sit down and paddle away. I was standing and jumping within 2 minutes (trying to simulate one of the videos I saw) much to the concern of Yoav, the designer and owner of Wavewalk, as he watched from the shore. Later, we even went out tandem in the kayak. No other kayak has this kind of stability. A fly fisherman’s dream. Period.

Anyway, I am not trying to “sell” you the kayak… just thought you may find it worthwhile to check it out.

Bob Smaldone”

The editor of the Angler’s Report published Bob’s letter. Thanks Bob!

Mike is a retired sailboat broker who doesn’t believe in ordering a boat without first seeing it. So he drove all the way from upstate NY to Sharon, Massachusetts, where he saw the W500 kayak, tested it, and took one back home with him.
This is what he has to say now, several weeks later:

I live in Rochester NY and I have been fishing from kayaks for the past 15 years.
I’m a retired sailboat broker with over 40 years sailing experience, and I hold a USCG maritime license.
My last fishing kayak was a [12' long, popular sit-in brand].
Being a 220 # male with some physical limitations, including arthritis, knee, mobility and lumbar issues, my sit-in fishing kayak was getting very difficult to use. I was thinking I was at the end of my kayak days due to my physical limitations, and this is why I’ve become interested in W kayaks, since I thought this craft will overcome them.

Prior to the W kayak, the [brand name sit-in kayak] was as good a fishing kayak as was available. The W has totally raised the bar. Launching / landing it is actually enjoyable, and standing up is remarkable.

My maiden voyage:
My new W500 and I went on our maiden voyage, and I had a ball. I haven’t stood up in it then, as I took my time getting used to how it handles. I landed / launched it about 10 times and did some basic turning. A number of kayakers were intrigued at the new craft. It transports solid as a rock now that I figured out my system.
I was very pleased with the W and my progress on that initial trip with it. With my knee and back limitations, I knew I’d be advancing slowly.
I’m very grateful for being able to get out on the water again at all. Being able to launch and land easily is more than worth the cost of the W. I am now thankful that I’ll get many more years on the water.
I think it would make a fabulous yacht tender too.

Next voyages:
Well I’ve had my W out about 5-6 times so far, and I want you to know how happy I am with my purchase decision. I was paddling by a major canoe / kayak facility yesterday and noticed I had drawn some attention by the staff and a few of their clients. I couldn’t resist the urge to stand up and proceed paddling around a bend until I was out of their sight. Awesome.
I’ve been in 2-3 foot chop on a local bay with no problems. I’m not pushing myself, just going along as my confidence and experience builds. I haven’t been able to turn around in the cockpit, as my knee range of motion is too limited. It is wonderful to be able to go ashore at will.

- ‘High-Beaching’ W Kayakers’ Style -

I want to thank you again, and I’m sure your design will give me another 10 years on the water.

Please use me as a local resource for demo purposes, as I would be glad to let prospects touch and see my W and possibly try it out if my timing works. I would be very glad to show my W to anyone in my area that has some interest.

I think you have one hell of a nice product.

Mike Ratigan, Rochester NY

NEW: Read how Mike rigged his W kayak for fishing >>

NEW: Mike becomes Wavewalk’s first dealer. Read more about it >>

I went to Huntington Harbor on Sat. I had no problems paddling my W500 in the sitting position. I had to paddle thru a deep area to get to a shallow part of the harbor. I paddled around in the sitting position for a while in that area. After I felt comfortable, I stood up and paddled in the standing position (in the shallow area, about 1 to 2 feet deep). On the way back, I had to paddle thru deep areas and paddled in both in the standing and sitting position.
I took it slow, and I found the W to be very stable. I think my experience with SOT, ATV and riding horses helped.

I didn’t take a fishing equipment on my first trip, and will not take any while I’m learning to handle the W. After that I’ll start using the W for offshore fishing.

W loaded on Tundra to head home. My wife made the red flags about 8 years ago that I used to clip to the handles of my SOT while transporting those kayaks.

In the past 2 years, Craig Masterman has been fly fishing from his W300 in Cape Cod and Florida.
Now he got a W500, and he rigged it to be the absolute fly fishing machine.

Craig prepared an online slide show including some 40 detailed photos of his fly fishing kayak rigging work.

Says Craig:

-”What I know is, that I cannot ever remember being so favorably impressed by any product, of any kind, as I have by the Wavewalk W500 kayak. Part of that has to do with my passion for saltwater fly fishing and the degree to which the “W” has enriched my fly fishing experience. Part of it may be that my memory isn’t what it used to be. Be that as it may, I find that I have to consciously temper my enthusiasm for the boat whenever I share its virtues with other fly fishers…

This is a boat with a design that is so beautifully simple and so inherently adapted to stand-up paddle fishing.”

I mean it.

Craig Masterman came to visit yesterday. Craig is a saltwater kayak fly fisherman who’s been fly fishing out of his W300 for the past couple of years, mainly in Cape Cod and Florida.
He enjoyed paddling the W500, and fishing from it, and soon he’ll get his own, yellow W500.

Craig and I paddled the W500 kayak in tandem, and we both were surprised to see how easy it was, and how well the boat performed considering it was visibly overloaded, as our combined weight exceeded the maximum recommended load by 20% : Craig weighs 215 lbs, I weigh 200 lbs, and with our paddles shoes and clothes the total load was about 440 lbs, while the max recommended load for the W500 is 360 lbs.

The kayak moved at a reasonable speed, presented no significant balance issues, and was even pretty easy to maneuver considering the unusual circumstances.

The last time I did something like was when Jeff McGovern to visit me back in October of 2008. Before that I had paddled the W300 in tandem during demos, with (sometimes frightened…) clients, one of which was Craig, back in the summer of 2008

And one last thing: The W500 is such a pleasure to paddle because it’s only 28.5 inches wide, unlike common fishing kayaks that are much wider, and therefore are slow, clumsy, and difficult to paddle with or without a rudder.

Yoav

Norma is a seasoned kayaker, who has already contributed a kayak review of her 2004 W300.

I have many kayaks, and use all of them for different times and depending on who I’ll be paddling with.
I have gotten to a point of “what to get rid of” boat wise, and the Wavewalk will never be gotten rid of, as I love the boat because of the difference I feel when I paddle it.

I belong to a lot of different kayaking groups in different states, and I also participate in online kayaking forums. Once I posted a few positive remarks on the Wavewalk’s performance in different water conditions, and I was rebutted by someone who I’m very sure never paddled a Wavewalk kayak, but left serious demeaning comments of it. Funny, at the time I thought maybe those comments were made by a competitor trying to disclaim the Wavewalk without trying it first.

Mack (my dog) and I go solo most often in my Wavewalk, and feel totally secure in any condition we find. It is superior to other yaks in distance and comfort level for sure.
In my 10 ft W300 I have kept up with “serious“ sea kayakers, but they still refuse to try the Wavewalk – I just don’t get it… I tell them to watch the videos showing it in the surf, etc. It’s such a loss for them. I don’t get what they’re afraid they’ll be missing, other than the shape of their old kayak.

I did find it hard to rescue 2 paddlers in the water from the traditional rec kayaks to get them back into their boats as it was sinking without flotation as I was sitting higher with a dog, but then again they safely hung to my Wavewalk while their tandem kayak without flotation sank in the water, and were safely rescued from a motorboat that I flagged down.
I’ve never had to rescue a sea kayak as of yet, but I believe I sit too high to assist in such a recovery, other than maybe they can use my W hulls to help themselves.  It really depends on the kayaker in trouble to know enough to help themselves.
The Wavewalk is really different and most do not appreciate that yet. One day I believe they will.

I paddle away with or without my dog, and I’m not sure of what other kayakers think when they see me keeping up with them, especially in the rough conditions they paddle in sometimes.
Once I was told by some good kayakers I know that they had to rescue a sea kayaker, when I made it back fine from the same area with my W, and I had my dog on board. They told me these things at the landing launch, after their paddling trip, and I just smiled, knowing they knew I was paddling through the same area in a smaller boat they don’t accept…

I feel very safe in my W boat, and it is so comfortable.  I truly want it to be known, and a success.

Since this question is an important one, I’ve decided to post this kayak fishing and paddling safety article on our main blog.

Thousands of kayak anglers are risking paddling and fishing accidents because of their kayaks’ poor ergonomics. The hazards are many and diverse:
First, there’s the danger of being unable to paddle back to shore, as a result of fatigue, and even exhaustion.
Strong wind and tidal current are external forces that could be hazardous to a tired kayak angler, especially if elderly or inexperienced. If your kayak makes you prematurely tired, you need to consider switching to something more comfortable that tracks and paddles better, namely a Wavewalk kayak.

Additionally, overheating in summer, and hypothermia in winter should not be underestimated, since they reduce your ability to paddle effectively and get back to your launching spot, and could even prevent you from getting back to shore.
If your kayak exposes you to cold wind and water, you should avoid paddling it under such circumstances, unless you’re willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a dry suit. Remember: wearing waders and boots while operating small boats is very dangerous, since such heavy clothing might prevent you from swimming, and from getting back into your boat, or kayak.

Furthermore, there’s the hazard of cramps, leg numbness and being practically paralyzed by pain in your back, or in your butt.

Cramps in your legs can be very painful, and last a long time if you can’t stand up safely and relax. Sit-in and SOT kayaks offer only one position, which is sitting in an L shape, with your legs pointing forward and being restricted by footrests. Paddling or fishing in this position for a long time is s recipe for cramps, and for leg numbness, which is not as dramatic, but still most unpleasant, and undesirable as far as paddling is concerned.
Both leg pain and leg numbness are also dangerous because they prevent you from balancing and maneuvering your kayak efficiently.

Pain in your back or butt is dangerous, since it can literally cripple you, and compromise your paddling efforts. Moreover, you might find yourself close to shore and still unable to beach your kayak, or get out of it, as Don, this California kayak angler describes in his kayak review:

-”I fished for 8 years in an [Brand, Model]. The “L” sitting position and it’s effect on my back is what finished standard kayaking for me… One day I beached the bow of that 16 footer and was still about 10-12 feet out in the water where I was sitting. I discovered I couldn’t move my legs. Getting out of that thing without causing all kinds of laughter from spectators was one of my greatest physical accomplishments.
I was sure I’d avoid those scenarios with the”W”, and I could hardly wait to find out all the wonderful differences.”

Read Don’s entire fishing kayak review >>

This is not a rare example, and in fact many people report experiencing similar things with their sit-in and SOT kayaks.
Actually, most kayakers and kayak anglers have grown used to frequently stopping their paddling and fishing, just to go on shore an ‘unkink’. This ‘unkinking’ basically means stretching, and allowing some rest for the sore back and aching legs. Stretching your legs and back improves circulation, and relaxes muscles and tendons.
Some kayak fishermen in warm regions just stand in the water, if it’s shallow enough. If such frequent ergonomic stops are impossible, the only solution anglers face is to cut short their fishing trip, and paddle back to their launching spot.

The combination of back pain or leg pain and cold is dangerous because the cold further contracts your muscles, and thus increases the pain, and therefor makes it harder for you to paddle.
Paddling in intense heat, especially if you’ve suffered from a sun stroke or dehydration is dangerous if you have pains, because such combination can increase the danger of premature fatigue and exhaustion.

2009 was a spectacular year for Wavewalk kayaks -

Our sales this year grew by 64% compared to 2008, which was our best year so far. This is encouraging in view of the continuing slump in the boat and kayak markets, caused by the economic recession.

Our new W500 kayak series turned to be a resounding success, with W500 kayaks taking the lead over the old war horse, the W300.

Most pleasing is the fact that so many W500 clients have taken the time to send us great reviews and stories.

The W500 seems to be a kayak that people simply LOVE, including those who’ve already owned or used a W300 before. As some of these clients have put it: -”Wavewalk took the world’s best kayak and improved on it!”.

Some W anglers go as far as saying the W500 is better than any small fishing boat, and not just fishing kayaks.

This year we expanded our exports, with shipment to clients in Norway and Australia, and increased our sales in New Zealand and Canada. We look at this geographic expansion with particular satisfaction.

In 2009, more clients have ordered a second, and sometimes even a third W kayak from us. This shows to us that once people get used to W kayaks for either paddling or fishing, they’re not likely to change, or go back to an old-fashion sit-in or SOT kayak. In other words, it means we’re on the right track.

Our website wavewalk.com attracted over 150,000 individual visitors this year, including tens of thousands of returning visitors. This is an annual increase of over a third compared to 2008. Our blog is vibrant with stories, pictures, movies, comments and discussions, and has a growing number of fans – some of which aren’t even Wavewalk customers (yet…)  In other words, although we’re still a small company, we’ve already established a significant web presence.

The more we listen to our customers the more we learn, and it helps us improve our products, as well as the service we provide. We would have not succeeded in making the W500 as good as it is without people commenting on their experience with the early models of the W300, and its latest version – the 2008. The blog we introduced in 2008 proved to be an increasingly useful means of communication between our customers and us, as well as between the customers and themselves. This blog is also fun, which is a bonus for everyone

And last but not least – our customers: You people proved to be courageous, patient, creative, supportive, productive and loyal beyond anything we had expected, or deserve . You people made this year great for Wavewalk, and we are very grateful to you!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!

Yoav

Rod Ratzlaff, a Colorado kayaker and eclectic outdoorsman, got his W500 earlier this year, and we already published his ‘first impression’ kayak review on this blog.
Since then, Rod wrote a full featured article about his W500 kayak, and kindly contributed a copy to our website.

Rod’s article has insightful observations and reflections, great pictures, and interesting links, including to his own website that’s definitely worth visiting.

Rod and his wife Toni worked together on some unique modifications and outfitting projects, including a sophisticated rudder system – Rod needs it when he sails his W500 with an umbrella! (you must see that!), a truly amazing spray deck (fairing) and an equally amazing cockpit cover, a great looking seat pad, a portable electric motor, and other smart and artistic items…

My favorite work of art is the W logo sewn on the spray deck

Yoav