Jeff is taking the next step towards simplifying his kayak fishing style. No more complicated rigging with a milk crate, and not that many rod holders: His W500 offers enough storage space for all his fishing gear and tackle, including his Emmrod fishing rods, so he uses just one deck mounted rod holder (RAM-117).
Simple is good – Keep it simple!
October 8: More rigging projects and great pictures from Bob >>
The boat came on Friday the 18th.
The delivery driver was so curious that we opened the box so he could see the “W”. He said “let’s go fishing”. Who knows he might get one!
As you can see I have been rigging the “W” like many of your other customers. I have been out twice so far and it only took me 5 minutes to get my sea legs. But I have not yet tried to stand up and paddle. I’ll wait some before I try that. It has been great fun for me just to have the freedom to pack up and go.
I put the “W” in the back of my truck (No picture) and in 10 minutes I’m in the water. I have two lakes just 10 minutes away. I just bought a fish locator and I’m going to “shoot” through the hull with the transducer.
I’m going to try using plumbers putty to hold the transducer in place. If that doesn’t work is there a product I can use that would work better. I would prefer something that’s not permanent. Thanks for your help. A happy “W” owner Bob Sandeen
W kayakers usually report excellent performance of their boats under wind, mainly because it tracks well and offers various means for power-paddling and counter-affecting the wind.
Here are some tips that can improve your W kayak’s performance when you’re paddling in strong wind:
1. Paddle only in the Riding Position, and lean a bit forward, with your knees lower than your hips – That would give you extra power.
2. Paddle from the middle of the cockpit, as much as possible -
3. Lean your W kayak into the wind – That would make it harder for it to affect the course of your W kayak.
4. Cover the front of the cockpit – That would improve the cockpit’s aerodynamics. Any waterproof fabric or plastic sheet would do for that matter. Every W kayak comes with a preparation for a cockpit cover that’s easy to use, and you can cover the cockpit in seconds.
5. Apply short J strokes on the side from which the wind is blowing, and more powerful strokes on the lee side (the sheltered side) – That would help you track. You may even hold the paddle not from its middle, so that you can apply longer strokes on the lee side.
6. Any object protruding from the deck is exposed to the wind, and therefore generates additional drag – Dismount deck mounted rod holders, and store your fishing rods inside the hulls whenever possible. A milk crate would act as a small sail that’s controlled by the wind, so you’d better avoid using one.
7. Keep paddling in a steady pace and a straight course – This is not about one-time corrections, but about minimizing your effort and getting there. Precision and efficiency are as important as power.
8. Again: Remember you can move fore and aft along the saddle, and by that control the angle in which your W kayak will point relatively to the direction from which the wind blows: Paddling from a forward position will tend to point the bow into the wind, and paddling from a backward position would tend to point the bow sideways and away from the wind (not a desirable thing).
Here is an instructional video on the subject:
It seems most kayak fishermen have gotten used to rigging their fishing kayaks with a milk crate attached behind the cockpit.
If you happen you own a SOT fishing kayak, rigging it with a milk crate would make sense, since SOT kayaks are basically hyped paddle boards that offer too little storage space and no real cockpit. Sit-in fishing kayaks offer a little more in this aspect, but not enough to drop the idea of adding a milk crate.
However, if you own a W fishing kayak, you may want to reconsider the pros and cons of adding a milk crate -
The only obvious pro that we can think of is that rigging your yak is fun, and attaching a milk crate to the top of a W kayak is an easy project that delivers immediate visual results…
And here are the arguments against rigging your W fishing kayak with a milk crate:
1. When launching, a milk crate would block your natural way into the cockpit from the back side of the boat. This means you might have to get in from the side, and possibly step in water. Keeping your feet dry is one of those little pleasures you can afford with a W kayak, so why give it up if you don’t have to?
2. A milk crate catches wind, which can become a problem if there’s lots of it blowing around and you happen to be tired, and have a long way to paddle – A milk crate on top of a kayak demands more efforts from the paddler. Windage is essentially a tracking problem, and since W kayaks track better than SOT and sit-in kayaks they are less prone to windage issues, but nevertheless – it’s something to keep in mind.
3. Why store anything behind you, on top of the W kayak hulls, when there’s so much space available inside the W kayak cockpit and in its hull tips – within arm’s reach? It’s like attaching your luggage to your car’s rear bumper instead of just putting it in the trunk, or in the passengers compartment. The W500 offers 14 cubic ft or internal storage space, which is more than any kayak ever would, and probably more than you could ever use … -so why not use it?
4. SOT and sit-in kayaks have a very low deck – close to the water. Kayak fishermen who fish in salt water prefer to keep their reels as high as possible, away from the salt water, and they attach tube rod holders to their yak’s milk crate. This adds almost a foot of distance, and saves them some problems. However, the W kayak hull tips are normally higher, and you can protect your fishing rods by storing them inside the cockpit when launching, so there isn’t that much of a necessity for you to use a milk crate. Besides, you can rig the W kayak stern with deck mounted rod holders that pivot to any direction you want, and will position your fishing rods higher above water surface.
5. The milk crate adds weight to your fishing kayak. It’s not really important for paddling, but it could be for carrying it. It’s not that much, unless you’re tired and have to carry the kayak a long distance. The same is true when you have to cartop your kayak.
John Brown, from Alabama, got his W300 fishing kayak in March.
Since then he’s rigged it to perfection:
-”It’s a great boat, and I love it. I got what I call the wavewalk-tan on my knees from paddling it so often… I do a lot of stand up paddling and poling. It works for me.” Says John.
Front view of John’s fully rigged W300 fishing kayak.
-”I just purchased a Hummingbird fish finder, but haven’t put it on yet.”
John paddling his kayak standing – scouting for fish.
John’s variation on the front storage solution.
The tube rod holders are RAM-301 (top) and RAM-119 (bottom) .
John’s anchor trolley system – a useful device for certain types of shallow water kayak fishing.
Close up on John’s W300 cockpit. Note the anchor attached to the anchor trolley, and how well the space is organized.
John’s version of paddle holders made from foam noodles. It’s as silent as it gets.
The classic milk crate used for attaching extra rod holders, and for more storage.