WAVEWALK KAYAKS

John is one of those W kayak fishermen who live in northern states (Wisconsin, in his case), and for whom every opportunity to get out and hit the water in spring (or autumn, for this matter) is a cause for celebration:

-”It was only in the forties today and cloudy but I had the day off am really getting the itch to get out and practice in the “W”.
I decided to go to a spot on a river close by which offers a safe paddling route.
The cold temperatures made me take all the safety precautions very seriously. I have been a professional firefighter for 16 years and served 11 years on the dive rescue team for the city of Milwaukee, and have seen the results of cold water tragedies.
The current was somewhat strong but the wind was calm. After spending three hours today on the river I am feeling very comfortable maneuvering around in the “W”.
It is comforting to know that I can now paddle during cold weather periods and feel safe.
Looks like it is going to be cool all week.
Hope it will warm up soon so I can take more Photos. I am also looking into waterproof video cameras.

Talk to you soon.

John Fabina”

Read John’s recent first-impression review of his new W fishing kayak

Another observation from Jeff, following yesterday’s fishing trip:

-”I saw two other fellows out in kayaks toward the end of the my time on the water.  By then is was blowing pretty hard out of the south.  Both of them were in sit on tops.  We headed in about the same time, right into the wind no way to avoid it.  Slow going for sure but I never paused and just paddled back with that walking pace stroke.  The other guys started out with me but fell way behind as they struggled with the waves and spray.  The W just churned on in. I got wet mainly from paddle drip but that was minimal.  The two guys were soaked and their reels would need a major cleaning thanks to being drenched from the salt spray.  They did not say too much right away because they were too winded when they got in.  I was already packed up in the Ranger and ready to go.  The younger man looked at the W and then at his off brand sit on top and just asked.  OK, where the heck did you buy that thing?  I passed along the website info.  The young man had only been kayaking maybe six months, his buddy maybe two years.  After seeing the W and then we talked about set up expenses I think both of them might be considering a W down the line.  Both men should be far better candidates for the boat than I was.  I don’t think either fellow topped 160 lbs and they were just a hair shorter than me.  Had the wind not been blowing so hard I could have given them a quick trial ride.

Jeff”

The ‘Yak Back’ is a popular name given to a condition caused by paddling traditional sit-in and SOT kayaks, and fishing from them.

The ‘Yak Back’ symptoms include leg numbness and cramps, discomfort in the hips and buttocks, pressure and pain in the lower back (lumbar) area, and premature fatigue.

Paddlers and fishermen suffering from Yak back feel a strong urge to change positions, stand up, walk, and stretch.  Early Yak Back symptoms can appear as early as half an hour from launching, and they tend to aggravate as the hours go by.

It is not uncommon that people who paddle sit-in and SOT kayaks and fish from them develop a chronic Yak Back condition, manifested mainly as an acute sensitivity to pressure on their lower back, and sometimes even chronic lower back pain that forces many of them to abandon kayak paddling and kayak fishing.

The Yak Back is the result of being seated in an unnatural position often called the ‘L position’, in which your own legs push your lower back against your kayak seat’s backrest. The pressure applied is constant, and generated by the most powerful set of muscles in your body, which is why cushioning the seat’s backrest is quite useless.

Traditional sit-in and SOT kayaks offer too little stability to begin with, which is why as a paddler or fisherman who uses them, you’re required to keep your center of gravity (CG) as low as possible by sitting as low as possible and throwing your legs forward. As you do that, your legs change roles from naturally supporting your upper body to actively pressuring it in your spine’s lower part, which is a vulnerable place.

Native people of the Arctic who invented kayaks never used backrests, because they were used to sitting this way, so they didn’t need lumbar support. However, this is not an option for you because without a backrest you’re likely to find it impossible to keep your body in the L position for more than a few minutes.

The W kayak is the only kayak that offers your legs their natural role in supporting your upper body in your balancing, control, paddling and fishing efforts. Since your legs support your upper body you don’t need a backrest to support your back, and therefore there is nothing that can cause you discomfort, fatigue or pain.

The W kayak also offers you the possibility to switch between a variety of different paddling and fishing positions, including standing, which helps you stay fresh and comfy, and avoid Yak Back symptoms.

For these reasons the W got its nickname ‘Back Saver’.

Read more about ergonomics in kayak design.

Rudders are almost a necessity in modern SOT and sit-in fishing kayaks, simply because most of these kayaks have become so wide that they lost the ability to track, which is essential for any water craft.

The increase in width is the kayak manufacturers’ response the the demand for more stability, and it comes at a price of lesser speed and poor control, I.E. lack of tracking capability that’s often coupled with lackluster performance when it comes to maneuverability.

Interestingly, no W-kayak paddler or fisherman has ever felt the need for a rudder. This fact is amazing, considering the W-kayak is shorter than most kayaks out there, and considering the fact that people are using it for multitude of applications in a wide range of aquatic environments, including long trips in the ocean, big lakes and wide rivers, where good tracking capabilities are an absolute necessity.

So what’s the problem with rudders?

First of all, they cost extra money, and good rudders cost a lot.

Second, and more importantly, they slow down your kayak, and are often cumbersome and difficult to handle. After all, there are other things you’d like to do when you’re in your kayak, such as paddling or fishing, rather than steering with a rudder.

Third, and that’s really too bad for paddlers and fishermen who go in shallow water – Rudders have a nasty tendency to get stuck in the bottom, or bump into rocks or branches down there, or get entangled in sea weed, so they limit your range of paddling and fishing.

And fourth, like any mechanical device, rudder systems can break, and their cables can get torn. This problem can turn out to be anywhere between unpleasant and dangerous, especially if you’re far from shore and the weather is getting nasty, the wind is picking up, it’s getting dark, the tide is getting strong etc.

In sum, rudders seem to be yet another necessary evil that’s imposed on the sit-in and SOT kayak fisherman, and W-kayakers and kayak fishermen should be thankful they don’t need to purchase and use such devices.

Here’s Jeff’s latest movie that he shot while paddling his Wavewalk fishing kayak:

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.”



Those of you who are familiar with this blog already know Jeff McGovern is an expert kayak fisherman from Northeastern Florida, and a Wavewalk Kayak fan who has contributed great kayak fishing articles and reviews, as well as pictures and movies to our website.

When Jeff told me he was coming to Boston on a business trip it was clear we had to meet and go paddling together, rain or shine. Well, it so happened that it rained abundantly thanks to ‘hurricane’ Kyle, but that didn’t deter us, and we grabbed a couple of W kayaks and headed to my favorite spot – the Charles River Reservation.

Well, I won’t tell you any fish tales, and this alligator we’ve encountered on the bank is not a real one. It’s an amazingly realistic sculpture that a local resident put there for everyone to enjoy:

Jeff had read about Treehouse Island in the W kayak review that Adam Bolonsky’s wrote on Wavelength Magazine, back in 2005, and he wanted to visit the place, so we paddled there under torrential rain.

We got to Treehouse Island and landed, and discovered the place was undergoing some renovation, and was a bit of a mess.  The third floor of the tree house had collapsed, and its second floor was pretty much gone too, so we couldn’t climb up and watch the Charles River scenery, unfortunately.

While we were there the rainstorm had gradually weakened, and we continued our paddling trip in clement weather…

Jeff getting ready to launch

After the trip Jeff told everyone that he had so much fun just paddling the W kayak although it had been the first time in his life to be in a boat without taking with him any fishing gear…

So, reading this headline you must have thought this post is about yet another guy paddling standing in his W kayak, but this time it’s not…

Stand up paddle boards are becoming increasingly popular among surfers, which use special, extra-long single blade paddles to paddle and surf standing.

Jason Starr, from Vermont got himself a double-blade 9′ 4″ long Wavewalk paddle, and this is what he wrote us:

-”I’ve attached a photo of me using the paddle on a Stand Up Paddleboard near Rye, N.H. I really enjoyed having a paddle on both ends and think it’s an advantage over the single blade paddles. Especially when standing facing forward when paddling for speed or on flatwater.
-Jason”



Boaters are always ready to help one another. Usually it’s motorized boaters who assist paddlers, but yesterday, while paddling our W kayaks on the Charles river in Waltham, we had an opportunity to help Anthony and Kelley, whose boat’s outboard motor had stalled.

We attached the back of my W kayak with a rope through its carry handles to the front of the motorboat.

From their motorboat, Anthony used my 9 ft long paddle, and Kelley paddled using a canoe paddle they had onboard. I paddled using an 8ft long paddle that belongs to my 9 year old son Yanay who had been onboard my W kayak and moved to the motorboat before we began the operation.

Yadin, my 12 year old son stayed in his own W kayak, and took pictures using a camera he borrowed from Anthony and Kelley.

It was a long and slow process, although the distance we had to paddle wasn’t long. After about 15 minutes we heard thunder and it started raining.

The Charles was already swollen from a previous thunderstorm, but since this part of it flows slowly the fact we had to paddle upstream didn’t seem to change much.  The rain grew stronger, and after some 20 minutes more of paddling we made it to this dock in Waltham, where our cars were parked.

Paddling and just drifting down a river standing in your W is a new and exhilarating way to travel and fish.
The river and scenery are experienced differently than when you’re sitting or riding in your kayak, and fishing is altogether different.
First of all, you can see more of what’s around you, whether it’s the water or the banks that you’re interested in. Wildlife and vegetation are more visible, and fish can often be perceived in the water when they wouldn’t be from a lower position.
Paddling down river is always easier than up river, and when you paddle standing you can paddle and steer at the same time by applying canoe-style J strokes on one side of your W kayak. If the stream is fast enough to carry you at a good speed you can just stand and occasionally dip your paddle to correct your course.
You can also paddle fast – both on one and two sides of your W kayak. Even speed is sensed differently when you paddle standing – Imagine going down a snowy mountain slope sitting on a sled and then standing on skis… The difference is comparable, although going on snow is faster in both cases.