-”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

-”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’ 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.

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.