Wavewalk Kayaks

Here’s a new message from Wayne:

-”I had a good day today, caught 15 bass but no lunkers. I am sending you some more pics:

This is how I mounted the oar locks.

One is of the window weight anchor, lure used to catch bass , and the kind of fish attractant I like called Mega Strike that I have to buy off the web.

The blue tool holder is made from a 5 Gal bucket tool bag,  I cut it in half and mounted it with a strip of 1 in x 1/8 aluminum. Works great for me.

-Wayne”

Wayne Taylor from Florida outfitted his Wavewalk fishing kayak with a pair of DIY outriggers and oarlocks (read more about this boat). He sent this picture today with a short report:

-”I went fishing today with my wave walk. The oar concept works great for me as I fish small bodies of water.  I’ve tried the trolling motor concept and it was too much weight and hassle for me.  The issue about the oars is, I can make minor corrections to my position without laying my rod down. Using one oar at a time etc.”

Judging by Wayne’s catch, his concept works pretty well, doesn’t it?


Wayne T’s W fishing kayak is an interesting project from a number of aspects:

He first outfitted it with a pair of large size outriggers because he wanted to enjoy more stability at his advanced age (68). When Wayne is in his boat the outriggers barely touch the water and generate just little extra drag.

Wayne also outfitted his kayak with a pair or oars, with the oarlocks attached directly to the cockpit rim. He explains that the reason he did it is because it gives him better control over the boat than a paddle does.

“This is the best one man fishing boat I’ve ever used and I have tried them all…” He says, and judging by his catch he has evidence to back his words:

When he paddles it he uses a canoe paddle made from his Mohawk paddling kit.

It looks like Wayne used a pair of oars and oarlocks he took from a small dinghy, and all he had to do was to reinforce the kayak’s cockpit rim before attaching them to his boat.

Wayne also chose the simple and easy way to build his outriggers, and you can read more about what he did in this boat review.

Altogether, Wayne’s boat shows that with some planning and no big effort, kayak fishermen can literally transform their W fishing kayaks into a very different type of boat while preserving most of the advantages the original design offers.

A prospecting customer recently asked me if we offer oarlocks for the W.

We offer neither oarlocks nor oars because there’s very little demand for rowing solutions, as most people nowadays prefer paddling.

Rowing used to be a popular recreational and sporting activity in the 19th century, and many fishermen still use a wide variety of small rowing boats and watercrafts for fishing. Practically speaking, paddling has too many advantages over rowing for anyone to consider switching from paddling back to rowing for applications such as touring or fishing, especially in the ocean or fast rivers.

However, rowing offers a type of physical exercise that paddling doesn’t, and it shouldn’t be completely ruled out as an option, especially on flat water.

It’s possible to install oarlocks in the W kayak and turn it into a nice rowing boat: Not as fast as one of those long rowing shells, of course, but very stable and comfortable. You’ll be able to launch, row and beach it where rowing shells are not an option, and you’ll be able to row standing as well - I tried it and it’s fun!