WAVEWALK KAYAKS

Brian Vickery, from California, is a fisherman and photographer who has special reasons to look for absolute, no-nonsense stability in his kayak, as well as total comfort.
Those of you who’ve visited our blog before already know that Brian has a genius and a passion for kayak outfitting and rigging projects-
Says Brian:
-”I have been away having left shoulder surgery, total replacement, so I am presently thinking of no more paddling for me at all. Dr says “mild” shoulder work in a few months PT time.
I put my W kayak in the water this morning and tried-out the folding amas. Wow!, when I tried my hardest to make it tip , I could not. Just like standing on a concrete floor. Solid, solid as I never thought it would be. That is saying a dickens of a lot, coming from me. I could not budge it at all.
I did find it was a tad hard to keep course though. Once the turn was made tho it kept good tracking. I think that with the two batteries and motor gone, it will sail well with a Genoa jib, and NO mainsail.
Cheers,, Brian”

More on Brian’s electric motor setup for his kayak >>

Brian, from California, has an extraordinary talent for coming up with original outfitting ideas, and turning them into real life solutions.

Being a photographer, Brian needs to be able to troll at a steady pace, as well as stand up in full confidence.

Note the two small-size batteries that fit perfectly at the bottom of the hulls.
The motor’s steering bar features a useful articulated extension, especially if you’re standing up.

Brian’s camera case

Battery box at the bottom of Brian’s fishing kayak’s hull

Motor mount socket for the electric motor. The motor is located at the stern.

Read more about Brian’s folding outriggers for his motorized kayak >>

Brian just got his W500 fishing kayak, and after he went wave walking with it he’s already implementing some creative outfitting ideas for it:

The title for this picture should probably be ‘Motorized Fishing Sea Horse’, or ‘Western Yak Saddle’.

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

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