Wavewalk Kayaks

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.

I thought it may be interesting to revisit the subject of motorizing fishing kayaks with an outboard gas engine.

To the best of my knowledge, so far only one W kayak angler has used such an outboard motor: Jim McGilvray, from Norfolk, UK, who rigged his 2007 W300 fishing kayak with a 2.5, 4 stroke engine, and a pair of DIY outriggers.
This is the movie Jim sent us, over two years ago:

This rig allows for more than trolling, obviously. The speed and stability are remarkable.

Here is a video clip of me motoring up the Farmington River from the Rainbow Reservoir launch on September 15 2009.
It would take me 2 1/2 hours to paddle this far, and I would be exhausted, paddling against the current.
But with the W300 and my hands free steering 30 lbs thrust minn kota trolling motor, it took me a little over 20 minutes to make the trip, that meant more time to fish!
Tight lines
Rox

Here’s a nice idea for an ergonomic steering system for a kayak’s motor:

Applying it to motorized W kayaks looks easy and convenient.

Jesse got his W300 fishing kayak in January. He fishes mainly in the ocean near San Diego, in the harbor and in the lagoon. In this short cellphone movie Jesse is showing a 6 lbs spotfin croaker he caught:

Here is a collection of fish Jesse caught on another good day, including (top) a sand bass and (bottom) another 6 lbs spotfin croaker.

Jesse mounted a trolling motor on his W300, and he gets to speeds up to 10 mph with it. This picture shows the transom mount Jesse built:

Jesse also rigged his W300 fishing kayak with carry wheels: Sometimes Jesse takes his dog for a ride in his kayak:

Jesse likes to paddle his W300 standing up, and fish standing as well. Jesse also likes to fish for halibut. His favorite lures are Berkley Gulp Alive, and he recommends smearing the lures with Uni Butter (sea-urchin flavored butter) that attracts fish better than anything, both in saltwater and freshwater.

Jesse is the owner of the Five Star Pool & Spa Service for care of aquatic systems.

Continued from John’s first review of his motorized W500 fishing kayak

-Just caught the second or third biggest bass I’ve ever caught (a little over 3 lbs). For me that’s a big bass! So maybe investing in a fishfinder was a good idea. Unfortunately I didn’t have a camera with me so no one’s going to believe me I also caught it on a beat-up, 1950’s lure called a “Flatfish” that I resurrected from an my old tackle box. The action of the lure is so outstanding that I’m trying to buy more of these obsolete lures.
Also enclosed a few photos showing my new reel style trolling motor crank and fishfinder, my crossed cable TM steering system and a detail shot of the flip-over wheel attachment cable connector (uses existing carry handle screw) and of course, the Flatfish.

John drove all the way from upstate NY to Wavewalk (close to Boston, MA) to get his W500 fishing kayak. Being an experienced engineer, John  took his time to inquire and think about trolling motors, steering systems etc., and came up with one of his own:

I’ve included some pics of my trolling motor adaptation which borrows from other W kayakers, and adds a unique steering method.

After some experimentation I decided to mount the motor at the very back using a 1/4″ aluminum plate, and added a crossbar to the top of a shortened TM shaft.  So far this is Rox’s TM configuration.  I then routed the steering cables thru 1/4″ brake tubes screwed to 2 strips of pine running the length of the seat.

Since I wanted the steering and motor speed control to be on the same handle, I mounted the TM head and a short section of shaft to a large plastic pulley and wrapped the steering cable around it.  By doing so, I can now control the both the steering and speed from the common handle.

I attached a piece of 1/4″ plywood to the top of the 2 pine strips and covered it with some foam and a piece of vinyl material.  Since there is now a hollow space under the seat I was able to run the TM wires and also a rope to raise the motor via a smaller hand cranked pulley.

I also used the flip-over loading wheel concept that one of the clever W bloggers sent in.

I’ve been out twice since the TM has been added and so far its working really well.

John Z

(more…)

I thought about this motorized W boat design a few years ago:

It shouldn’t be too hard to turn a W500 kayak into a similar ‘personal watercraft’:

Using standard aluminum tubes, the stem of the steering handle can be made to be telescopic, so it could extend and retract, thus allowing to steer while riding the saddle as well as standing up.

Also, such telescopic steering system could allow for the driver to move fore and aft on the saddle while still steering. This could be useful for dealing with different water conditions.

-Food for thought for the engineering-oriented members of the W kayak community…

-”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”

-”We just got back from Huntsville State Park, about 45 minutes north of Houston.  It is home to Lake Raven, a beautiful, serene and clean lake.  We camped overnight there (warm night) and went kayaking this morning.  Here are a couple of clips.  We tried fishing, but it’s so much fun paddling & trolling that it’s mostly what we did.  I even stood up while trolling and got a few stares.. At least 7 people asked me “What is it?” and I told them…”

-”This 4th of July weekend, we will be going down to the coast to try it in the bays.  I can’t wait to see how it does in the surf & small waves/wakes from boats and oh, maybe do some fishing.. Will keep you posted. Noel”

Noel put his design engineering skills to action, and came up with this perfect motorized W500 fishing kayak:

-”Problem solved with the trolling motor steering.  I rotated the handle 90 degrees outward, turned around in my seat, so now the trolling motor is in the back.  With this setup, you can turn at will, see the (cellphone) pics & video.”

-”My son Rainier also took it out for a spin and he’s very comfortable with it too.”

-”Sorry about the video quality, will have to do better…

Also getting more used to the weight/balance of the boat; standing is almost natural now and the boat does not feel tippy, unless I take my son in it with the trolling motor mounted.  It then becomes a little top heavy.  1 person is best with the motor/battery mounted.”

-”The motor mount consists of a 2 ft long treated wood, 1×6 base & a 2×4 upright mounted with stiffening brackets from Lowes.  Used 4x 1/4″-20 bolts x 3″ long with fender/spring washers/nut.  Drilled 4x 3/8″ holes in the hull to allow for flex, then bolted from inside using another piece of 4″ wide 1×6, thus sandwiching the thickness of the HDPE hull between the pieces of 2×4.  This, I hope, will prevent the holes in the hull from tearing out.  I’ve run aground twice so far at the bank at v. low speed and it held without any problems or getting loose.”

-”Check out the anchor mount quick release set up, I don’t fish shallow water so this comes in handy.  I don’t usually let the anchor hang as shown in one of the pictures, as it creates additional drag; I just pull it into the boat; it’s a 3.5 lb folding anchor.”

-”For the paddle  holder, I took closet hanger wire and bent it to fit, it works great; simple solution.

Noel”




Noel Mascarenhas is a Texan who got his new W500 fishing kayak a few days ago… (Read Noel’s ‘1st Impression Review’).

Here is his second review - story:

-”I can’t say enough good things about the WW.  When I washed it down yesterday, I flipped it over to get the water out of the hulls, and fully expected that some water would remain in the cockpit rim, but sure enough there was none; and then I noticed the drain hole in each end…also the hulls are sloped so that all the water will drain out of the boat when flipped over on the grass!  As a design engineer, I appreciate those little thoughtful features that Wavewalk has incorporated…most excellent!”

-”Had an awesome father’s day on the water with the family and the WW.”

-”My son Rainier is a natural kayaker, and is paddling standing, sitting, fishing sideways, turning in circles, reversing, stopping, actually landing at the launch point where we put in, he is already well on his way.”

-”We had a lot of people watching today, taking pictures and passing cars were honking as they went past, it was great!”

-”I mounted a trolling motor, anchor, battery box and crate with fishing rods.. See the attached pictures.

With the trolling motor mounted in the front (I reversed the trolling motor handle to point towards me), at the 3 setting, it was moving along pretty quick.  On the 5 setting, I was leaving a good size wake!  Steering was a different matter though, as I kept doing S-turns or going in a circle no matter what I did with the trolling motor.  I think it has to do with the flow channeling effect and the prop wash between and against the hulls.  The reverse on the trolling motor is very poweful, so I’m just going to turn around in my seat & operate it like that for now.  That will negate the hull effect, as I was able to steer very well in reverse.”

-”The battery location is critical.  On the saddle, it makes the WW top heavy, esp. with 2 people on board and stability/balance became tricky.  I moved it to the right hull, moved the anchor itself to the left hull and it stabilized.  After that it was smooth trolling!

In between tryouts, my wife Nini happened to notice a Mayfly next to her, so I picked it up & took a picture.. now that’s a perfect fly fishing picture.. a mayfly & the WW!”

-”I played around with the moving (side mounted on pulleys) anchor trolley this morning again and could not figure out a way to easily stop the rope once the anchor hit bottom (and still be able to operate the trolley), so I bought an anchor stop & mounted it between the hulls in the rear, it works great, as I can release the anchor & haul it up real quick, and I have full control of the rope.  I bought this in the boat section of (all places) Walmart.”

June 27 UPDATE: See Noel’s final motor rigging

Here’s a movie that Roxanne Davis sent us from Connecticut. Rox shot it from the cockpit of her W-kayak that she rigged with an electric trolling motor and foot-activated steering system:

Isn’t it amazing?

And here is the full story about Rox and her Electric W Kayak Fishing Machine

This rigging job is a marvel, and Rox has some interesting tips to share on how to work with a motorized W fishing kayak: It’s no longer just about trolling - it’s actual combat technique.

And here the movie we’ve all been waiting for: Dan Carroll in his maiden voyage in his motorized, electric W fishing kayak:

Read more about this electric trolling motor project

Thrust is a unit of measurement that manufacturers of electric trolling motors for fishing kayaks and other boats use to describe propulsion capability. Thrust is measured in units of weight. In the USA it’s usually pounds (lb.).

This can be confusing, since we often tend to think of propulsion in motion terms, or in horsepower (HP).

Before going further, we’d better clarify what weight and thrust have in common:

This (rather crude) illustration shows a small boat on the water.  The boat is equipped with an electric trolling motor and propeller unit whose measurable output is 36 lb.  The boat is attached by a line to a 36 lb weight that’s pulling it backward.  Since the motor unit can provide 36 lb of thrust it will keep the boat in place: It would be strong enough to counterweight the 36 lb weight, but not strong enough to get the boat to move forward.

Once the battery gets weaker and/or the propeller entangled in seaweed the thrust achieved will diminish and the 36 lb weight will drag the boat backwards.

Similarly, if we lifted the propeller out the water it would still thrust the boat forward, but much less so, since it would be pushing against air that’s hundreds of times less dense than the water this propeller was designed to work in… In this case the 36 lb weight would easily win this tug of war.

Note that this simple model describes thrust without using speed terms.

There is no simple formula that can help you convert thrust to horsepower or vice versa, although the terms are closely related to each other when motorized boats are concerned.

In our case Thrust is the directional force resulting from the rotation of a propeller at a certain speed. Different propellers rotating at the same speed will generate different thrust. The same propeller will usually generate more thrust at a higher rotation speed (RPM).

Horsepower is a unit of measurement for power (it’s quite obvious isn’t it?…), which is the ability to do work. Power is described by weight lifted over a distance during a certain time.

1 HP is equal to the power needed to lift the weight of 550 lb over a vertical distance of 1 ft - in 1 second.

Just by looking at these numbers we can sense that not every human is capable of producing 1 HP - not even for a short period of time.  Most of us can produce much less than 1 HP over long periods of time, such as when paddling, biking etc.  Estimates vary from 0.2 to 0.4 HP, but that doesn’t mean much for us as individuals.

So, going back to our illustration, if we had a 1 HP gas engine on top of the dam, and that engine was attached with a pulley to the line holding the 36 lb weight, we would be able to lift that weight up at a staggering speed of over 15 ft per second (550:36 = 15….).

Apples to apples: How can we compare the 1 HP gas engine to our 36 lb electric trolling motor?

We need comparable, that is mutually convertible units of measurement. In this case it’s HP and Watt.  To convert Watts (W) to a horsepower rating (HP) simply multiply the Watts by 0.00134

In other words, a 750 W electric motor (1:00134 = 746…) produces the equivalent of 1 HP.

In boating terms, Thrust would be the result of applying this power to move a boat through the water by connecting the engine to a suitable propeller and letting it move water… In order for such a comparison to make some practical sense we need to assume certain things about RPM, type and condition of propeller, boat size, boat speed etc… It’s really not that easy.

More specifically, when it comes to electric motors for kayaks you shouldn’t be tempted to get a strong motor that would consume your battery power too fast.  If such a thing happens you’ll have to paddle your kayak back with a heavy battery and motor onboard…

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