Rod’s article has insightful observations and reflections, great pictures, and interesting links, including to his own website that’s definitely worth visiting.
Rod and his wife Toni worked together on some unique modifications and outfitting projects, including a sophisticated rudder system – Rod needs it when he sails his W500 with an umbrella! (you must see that!), a truly amazing spray deck (fairing) and an equally amazing cockpit cover, a great looking seat pad, a portable electric motor, and other smart and artistic items…
My favorite work of art is the W logo sewn on the spray deck
W kayakers usually report excellent performance of their boats under wind, mainly because it tracks well and offers various means for power-paddling and counter-affecting the wind.
Here are some tips that can improve your W kayak’s performance when you’re paddling in strong wind:
1. Paddle only in the Riding Position, and lean a bit forward, with your knees lower than your hips – That would give you extra power.
2. Paddle from the middle of the cockpit, as much as possible -
If you paddle from its rear it would raise your W kayak’s bow and expose it to the wind, and the boat will turn away from the wind.
If you paddle from the front of the cockpit, the stern will go up, and the kayak will turn into the wind.
3. Lean your W kayak into the wind – That would make it harder for it to affect the course of your W kayak.
4. Cover the front of the cockpit – That would improve the cockpit’s aerodynamics. Any waterproof fabric or plastic sheet would do for that matter. Every W kayak comes with a preparation for a cockpit cover that’s easy to use, and you can cover the cockpit in seconds.
5. Apply short J strokes on the side from which the wind is blowing, and more powerful strokes on the lee side (the sheltered side) – That would help you track. You may even hold the paddle not from its middle, so that you can apply longer strokes on the lee side.
6. Any object protruding from the deck is exposed to the wind, and therefore generates additional drag – Dismount deck mounted rod holders, and store your fishing rods inside the hulls whenever possible. A milk crate would act as a small sail that’s controlled by the wind, so you’d better avoid using one.
7. Keep paddling in a steady pace and a straight course – This is not about one-time corrections, but about minimizing your effort and getting there. Precision and efficiency are as important as power.
8. Again: Remember you can move fore and aft along the saddle, and by that control the angle in which your W kayak will point relatively to the direction from which the wind blows: Paddling from a forward position will tend to point the bow into the wind, and paddling from a backward position would tend to point the bow sideways and away from the wind (not a desirable thing).
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.
-”Today was windy, very windy. in fact the hum of the wind through the racked rods got too loud after an hour or so. Paddling the W in the wind is much easier than any kayak I’ve tried. No it’s not fast since none of them are, but the effort feels far less.
I had no problem going into the wind to get across the intercoastal and staking out on the other side was quite simple. Pointing the boat with my back to the wind gave me casting distance that had to be seen to be believed. That is along with the fact the W power cast is already really far.
Funny there were no other yakers out at all today. One fellow stopped by while I was getting the W prepared to go out. He made the comment about how he now believed what folks said about me going out under less than ideal conditions. I mentioned that the W made it much less of an issue.
Slow day for fishing only three small reds, none of which would have made a legal meal. But as always another adventure trip in the W, those are always worth it.
Once you get used to your W Kayak you’ll find that you’re likely to be out paddling it and fishing from it on windy days, when other kayakers and kayak fishermen prefer to stay at home or simply can’t use they kayaks because of ‘windage’ problems.
Thanks to its exceptional, ‘catamaran’ tracking capabilities the W kayak has less windage issues than traditional SIK and SOT kayaks, including sea kayaks. In addition, your ability to move fore and aft along the saddle as well as lean sideways give you effective means to counter affect the wind.
Side Wind
You’ll be able to track well while a strong side wind is blowing once you’ve mastered the following things:
1. Position yourself in the middle of the cockpit (not in the back for this matter). In case of exceptionally strong side wind you can even position yourself a notch forward and by that let the stern ‘trail’ behind the bow. Generally speaking, you will find that your location along the saddle can help you in more than one way.
2. Lean into the wind, similarly to leaning into the turn – You can use the difference in the hulls’ height to act as a powerful ‘rudder’ that would help your W kayak track.
3. Apply the appropriate paddle stroke on each side of the kayak, that is use a weaker and regular style stroke on the side from which the wind is blowing, and a stronger, longer stroke on the lee side. By doing so you will compensate for the wind’s tendency to deviate your boat from its intended course.
Head Wind
Interestingly, much of the headwind passes between the W hulls, and eddies have a lesser effect on it than they have on monohull kayaks that have broader hulls.
You can paddle against a strong head wind in the Riding position (recommended) or one of the Kneeling positions.
The more you lean forward the more power you’ll be able to apply in your paddling. The paddle itself might become a mini ‘sail’ when a strong wind is blowing, therefore it is advised to keep the paddle at a low angle above the boat, regardless of the direction from which the wind is blowing.
