WAVEWALK KAYAKS

We managed to get lower shipping rates from the freight companies that we work with, and consequently, we can lower the shipping rates our customers are required to pay us.
The new shipping rates for kayaks will be effective starting today.

Please don’t worry – If you’ve already sent a check based on the previous, higher shipping rates, we’ll give you an automatic refund for the difference.

The new shipping rates for shipping a kayak to your address are:

As always, our rates include call before delivery service, and each W fishing kayak is shipped in an individual cardboard box, for maximal protection.

Map of continental US regions for shipping our kayaks

2009 numbers for the kayak industry keep declining because of the recession.
In contrast, in the third quarter of the year (Q3: July, August and September) Wavewalk sold as many kayaks as it did in Q3-2008 and Q3-2007 combined, and we’re very grateful for that.

We’d like to thank all our clients and supporters, and we’ll keep doing the best we can to provide people with the world’s best kayaks, and support them with the best service we can.

Yoav

Previous blogs on similar subjects:
June
March
February
January
2008

Kayaking, Leg Numbness, Leg Pain and Sciatica is the latest blog post on the new Painless Kayak Fishing blog.

Something tells me that it’s going to make some people angry, but it’s also going to give food for thought to a lot more people – paddlers and fishermen who are either considering kayaks, using them, or have already given up because of back problems, which are at the root of most leg problems.

Yesterday our website had 645 visitors, and it’s the most we’ve had this year.

The all time record was back in August 2004, after the New York Times had published an article about our first invention: shoes for walking on water (US utility patent number 6,764,363).

We chose to commercialize our second, boat invention, in the form of the W-kayak product line, and it looks like we’re on the right track.

Motor freight companies keep benefiting from the drop in fuel cost, and they transfer much of the difference to us. Since we’ve been shipping quite a lot with them they’ve also given us better prices.

Consequently, we’re able to lower the price of shipping our W-kayaks to all US regions, and to Canada.

The new kayak shipping price list features on our ordering and product info pages.

In addition, people who order kayaks during the month of February 09 benefit from a special $25 discount on shipping per kayak.

Alternatively, those who prefer it can convert this $25 cash rebate to a free RAP-340 or RAP-341 deck mounted rod holder ($45 value), or a free extra pair of side flotation modules ($40 value).

We ship each kayak in a cardboard box, for best protection.

The carriers have instructions to call our customers before delivering the kayaks to their address.

We filed no claims in 2008.

2007 was a very good year for Wavewalk, and 2008 was even better

Our competitors estimate that the US kayak market shrunk by 8% this year, but our annual sales kept increasing at a strong, double-digit rate.
As for the number of individuals who visited our website, it crossed the 100,000 mark in 2008, with people enjoying longer visits reading articles, customer reviews and blog posts, as well as watching movies.
However, the most important thing for us is the fact that our customers are more satisfied than ever, with some coming back to purchase their second, and even third W-kayak. We value their satisfaction and loyalty as the true signs of our success.
These days paddlers and fishermen are looking to get the best value for their dollars, and they find it in our kayaks.

Yoav

Jeremy is a long time sea kayaker and small boat sailor from Mississippi, who got his new W-kayak a few days ago. Here is his first impression:

-”It arrived last thursday. 15 minutes later I put it in the water in my work clothes including shoes and tie. Spent about 30 minutes playing around.
Clearly there’s a learning curve as it felt a bit wobbly, I’d guess because of the straight sides and high seat position.  I didn’t test it to discover the tipping point as I was in my suit complete with cell phone.  I half stood up, feeling a bit shaky, but then remembered cell phone and sat back down.  I’m sure I’ll be more relaxed when I figure out where the tip point is.  I had company this weekend so it will be Saturday before I get a  chance to really test it out.
On the plus side, I exited with dry shoes, a dry rear, and went back to work without ever changing.  Could never have done that in one of my [traditional] kayaks.  Also, was able to move fore and aft with no issues, again not possible in [my other] kayaks.—J.”



Recent drops in fuel prices make it easier for the trucking companies, and eventually they trickle down to us.
Wavewalk has lowered its shipping prices for its kayaks twice in recent weeks for all continental US destinations and Hawaii.
These are the new prices for shipping a single kayak to your home address, effective today:
Northeast: $165, Midwest: $175, Southeast: $175,
North Central: $195, South Central: $195, Northwest: $225,
Southwest: $225, Hawaii: $455

Yoav

The following text was copied from an article published on a kayak fishing website:

“This next statement is important. Kayaks are not boats. Let me repeat that, kayaks are not boats. There’s a lot of room in a boat so you can move around. Even a very small boat has much more room then the largest kayak…. -Let’s look at the situation. In a kayak you’re pretty much restricted to staying in the seat area. You’re going to be most comfortable here and this is where the stability is. “

(The author of this article is unknown)

Why is this passage interesting? -Because it reflects reality as perceived by all people who fish from SOT and SIK kayaks: Restricted space, limited mobility in the cockpit, clutter and eventually discomfort – although the anonymous writer refers to the seat area as being the ‘most comfortable’ for the kayak fisherman to be in, which makes sense only because there is practically no alternative in SIK and SOT kayaks…

Technically, sit-in (SIK) kayaks are boats: They are small, hollow vessels stripped down to the minimum functionality in terms of load capacity, speed and functionality.

Sit-on-top (SOT) kayaks are not vessels – they are boards, which can be completely filled with foam and contain neither passengers nor cargo. This is why it makes more sense to classify them as ‘not boats’, as the writer did.

W kayaks are boats, with all the characteristics of boats. They even offer enough internal space and stability for the passengers to change their location within the passenger compartment called ‘cockpit’.

The author of that article quoted here was probably unaware of the existence of W kayaks when he/she wrote it.

W kayaks even offer passengers to stand up while propelling the boat, and when fishing from it, and that’s a feature that not all bigger boats can offer.

What SIK, SOT and W kayaks have in common is their small size and light weight that offers their owners the possibility to cartop them and carry them along considerable distances on shore. This small size and light weight are essentially what differs fishing kayaks from fishing canoes, which are usually bigger and heavier – although some of the bigger fishing kayaks are as heavy as canoes, and may require a trailer…

Raising the Bar in Kayak Design and Performance:
New Standards For The Third Millennium

This article discusses the changes in kayak design, usage and performance over the past century and in recent years.

Part 6
Mobility: The New Dimension

1. KAYAK MOBILITY DEFINED

Anybody can understand that a 4×4 off-road SUV is more mobile than a common, two-wheel drive car. Most people realize that a skin-on-frame Inuit kayak is less durable than a modern plastic kayak, and you couldn’t paddle it in some of the places that you’re used to paddle in. But what does mobility mean when it comes to modern kayaks?
It basically has to do with whatever limits kayakers and kayak fishermen from going where they want to:
Such limits include spots that are too difficult to launch your kayak from, or too difficult to beach it in. Other limits can be water that’s too difficult to paddle in because of currents, waves, ice, vegetation or submerged obstacles such as wooden logs or rocks.

Weather conditions can limit you as well: Canoes are difficult to paddle on windy days and so are most kayaks, including touring kayaks.
So, if for whatever reason you’re prevented from using some beach or going somewhere with your kayak it means your kayak’s performance is limited in terms of Mobility.

2. WHY IS MOBILITY IMPORTANT?

Your kayak’s mobility goes two things that matter to you:
Safety: You won’t drive a two-wheel drive car in a snowstorm or on ice because it’s unsafe to do so. Similarly, you wouldn’t paddle a kayak with limited mobility in water or weather conditions that are not suitable for it, and you won’t launch or beach it where you might capsize.
Freedom: You don’t think of a two-wheel drive as a great outdoors vehicle since its limited mobility would restrict your freedom of movement. This argument may be circular, but apparently too few kayakers pay attention to this issue, especially touring and sea kayakers.
What’s a fast kayak good for if it requires special places for launching and beaching? Why can’t you paddle a fast, expensive touring kayak in a fast stream or have fun with it in the surf?
And if you’re a fishermen the advantage of replacing your big, trailed motorboat by a cartop fishing kayak is considerably reduced if you can’t launch it, fish with it and beach it anywhere you want.

3. KAYAK MOBILITY REDEFINED

The W kayak offers a level of mobility that’s unprecedented, and may even be inconceivable for some.
Mobility is a feature that’s easy to demonstrate, and a picture tells more than words, especially if it’s moving. Therefore, it seems like the most appropriate thing to do at this point would be to have the reader watch the some online videos: