Kayak Fishing and Paddling - The New Standard in Fishing Kayaks. Fishing Kayak Reviews, and Kayak Fishing Trip Reports, Movies, Pictures and Articles By and For Kayak Anglers.
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
I have back pain and and have to say my w-500 is the most comfortable boat I’ve ever paddled. I had an unfortunate encounter with a bad chiropractor and have issues with L5 and sciatica now, and had tried SOT kayaks with bad results… but I could see the w kayak is entirely a different story after only one outing!
After I’ve had my w500 out for only 4 times and I could see that once you get your technique down it’s FAST, easily as fast as a 13′ kayak (if you’re in the aggressive mounted position)… and the leaning into a turn works really well, especially if you’re seated near the stern. I have gotten used to a milder cruising stroke in the seated position that allows me to paddle for literally hours with no problems or back pain (holding the paddle closer towards the center and letting the paddle and gravity do some of the work).
Last night I took it out into some choppier, high traffic areas and got a lot of inquiries from some sea-kayakers who were very impressed with a boat you can stand up in.
I am loving my w-500… After I’d been out about 6 times, took it out with a 230lb friend… I am an intermediate paddler and my friend had minor experience. After several failed attempts to paddle together I had him try it solo. He had a good sense of humor, and I’m not deterred! Good times indeed!
I am very comfortable paddling it by myself now and spend 1/3 of the time paddling it standing, and get tons of inquiries. I’m getting questions from Salmon fishers and sailboats (mostly because I row near a fishing/sailing boat moorage now).
I did not try my W500 first before I ordered it, I simply did TONS of research and asked many people I know who are experienced. I am one of the very satisfied customers who’s incredibly happy with his decision, it was not hasty.
I was asked last night by some kayaker where he could try a w-kayak… i said “right here, right now… pull up to that dock and I’ll let you give her a spin”
The last 3 times I’ve been out on my w-500 was to lurk outside the fish ladder and watch the salmon return to spawn, kind of fun watching 24″ fish jumping all around you, oh but I have a better view than everyone else!
I have still yet to try my w-500 for fishing, but will soon once I find a few good nearby spots, and will be sure to take more pics.
Roger Sacla, from Michigan, sent us his ‘first time review’ of his new W500 kayak, and some beautiful pictures: -”I finally able to test drive my new W kayak. This is my first time to buy and even try using kayak and it was awesome…”
-”It took me half an hour to get used to it and get my balance and after that, I was standing and even racing with my brother who has a regular kayak. My daugther who is 11 years old used it and able to maneuver easily like a pro.”
-”The whole family had a great time using the WW kayak and intend of using it for many many years.
The photos were taken at lake Huron, Oscoda, Michigan. Roger”
In this movie Roger and his brother are paddling the W500 in tandem:
This movie shows two large size adults paddling the 2009 Wavewalk kayak in tandem, on flat water. The bow paddle is 6′3″ tall (190 cm), and weighs 245 lb. (111 kg) The stern paddler is 6′ tall (183), and weighs 195 lb. (88 kg) Their life jackets, clothes, shoes, paddles and gear add 30 lb. (14 kg) Total load: 470 lb. (213 kg) The estimated draft is about 11″
WARNING: The W-kayak in this movie is overloaded, and only two experienced W-kayakers like the ones featuring here can paddle it safely. You should not expect to be able to paddle in tandem in such conditions before becoming a seasoned W-kayaker.
Any attempt to paddle this boat in tandem with two adult paddlers of any size before both of them have gained considerable W-kayaking practice is unsafe.
Tom and Jenny on another day - enjoying surf paddling.
Tom Buddington recently wrote us from Florida:
-”Just thought I’d post a follow-up review after having several more experiences with this truly unique boat. Recently my daughter and I were caught out in what I estimate were 25 knot winds (higher gusts I would bet for certain) and the river became dark and menacing (Gosh it was so calm and peaceful moments before!). The waves were like a white water washing machine. It just happens with those out of nowhere summer storms; I try to be careful, especially with my daughter with me, but you might not ever go out if you worried about the possibility of a storm that wasn’t even predicted. THAT’s the moment of truth. 30 minutes of dark weather paddling at first into and against 20-25 knot winds and 2-3 foot storm slop and then having it on your tail (which is worse in my opinion). We just strapped on our PFD’s NICE and TIGHT and worked it with the Wyak. And she kept us out of the water and got us home. I was impressed the whole time with the stability of the W kayak in serious conditions. We used her best attributes (those twin hulls) and the geography of the Indian River Lagoon and ducked into a safe little cove and waited for things to get calm (we were in the middle and had a long way to go to get to that cove mind you). I can’t stress enough that the ability to alternate between significantly different positions (i.e., standing to riding and a few others) in the W kayak and use different muscles made this one a story with a happy ending. Would have been wiped-out exhausted in any other boat that day.
I speak from the perspective of a guy who loves the water and lives on the water and has been a waterman for, oh, say 30 years. I have 7 other boats of differing designs, 2 of which I have committed to sell to make way for my next Wyak . The W is an incredible craft and I like it.”
And here’s another picture of Tom and Jenny surf paddling at the beach:
The W kayak can carry two adult passengers onboard, providing none of them is very big.
In these pictures the guy is 6 ft 200 lbs, and the girl is 5′5″ and weighs 135 lb. That’s about the maximum passenger load this boat would take and still perform reasonably well.
To begin with, it’s important to stress the fact that tandem is an ‘advanced’ application, which means both paddlers are required to be experienced in solo W kayaking before they go paddling it in tandem.
The secret to successful tandem paddling is having each paddler perform his / her role: The front paddler should paddle as regularly as possible (e.g. left-right), and the back paddler, who’s in fact the ’skipper’ should follow the movement of the front paddle with his own paddle while trying to keep the paddles parallel to each other in order to prevent them from colliding.
The paddler in the back is also the one who’s more responsible for tracking and steering, and should try to do it without losing power and momentum, that is while applying different strokes of varying power. Sharp turns should be done together.
The older W kayak models enable sitting in the Riding-Over position outside the cockpit - on their hull tips. The New, 2008 design offers to ride over the cockpit as well, due to its lower spray deflector.
Riding-over is basically a static position offering you to dip your feet in the water in case you want to cool down, and try yet another position in case you feel like changing. It’s practical for fishing, and since you can ride over the hull tips it enables establishing a bigger distance between two fishermen working from the same W kayak.You can paddle in this position, as well as correct the kayak’s location.
Sometime it’s nice to go paddling with passengers on board your W Kayak. It can be fun to combine such an excursion with fishing, camping or bird watching.
Storage space is not a problem since the W kayak’s hull tips offer ample storage space, and you can attach additional gear on top of its hulls, but in case you need to take two passengers with you in the cockpit you’d better plan ahead. In such case canoing style paddling presents certain advantages over kayaking style paddling since the shorter, single blade paddles are less prone to hit each other.
Roles should be well defined and understood, in order to facilitate tracking.
The paddler at the stern should be the one responsible for the entire crew, since he/she can see the two others and can apply long J strokes that would help steering and tracking.
The paddler in the front can switch sides more easily than the two others - in case an additional blade is needed in the water on the other side of the kayak.
In case you use kayak (I.E. double blade) paddles, it’s important that the front paddler set the pace and the other two follow his/her paddle in parallel, otherwise the paddles will hit each other.
Like most things related to paddling - practice makes perfect.
When it comes to pushing the boundaries we’re always trying to come up with something new, even if it doesn’t always makes sense for daily paddling or fishing.
Our latest experiment is paddling standing in tandem, and by ‘tandem’ we mean two adults - In this case it’s a 6′, 200 lbs guy with a 5′ 6″ , 130 lbs gal.
It certainly required keeping cool, considering the water temperature was below 40 F… -A good exercise in team spirit building.
We’ll keep experimenting as both weather and water get warmer.
I went in the Intercoastal Waterway this weekend. Saturday morning was my first time on open water and I was very nervous. Just grabbing a fishing pole from the rod holder was scary. I ran across an oyster bed and scratched the hulls.
Sunday morning was much better. I felt pretty comfortable moving around the cockpit to grab fishing poles, cast, etc. I was actually able to stand up and paddle when I got close to shore and knew I could stand up if I fell.
My son was able to instantly balance on the W kayak.
You should have seen the looks I got from the nearby paddlers/fishermen. One guy actually approached me after I pulled my W out of the water and asked to look at it more closely.
Thanks again for all your help and advice. Everyone I meet who has any interest in paddling thinks my W is very interesting.
Here’s a photo of my son with his first speckled trout caught on a Wavewalk near Caladesi Island in Clearwater, Florida
By ‘tandem’ we mean two adults, since paddling with a child onboard is less of a challenge, at least in the W kayak.
A lot has been said about kayaking in tandem, and it usually confirms the observation that kayaks are basically meant to be solo boats more than anything else…
However, paddling in tandem can be fun and rewarding - if it’s done properly.
First, you need to address the problem of balance, especially if your partner is not experienced in W kayaking (assuming you’re a proficient W kayaker yourself). The way to do it is mount (ride) the back of the saddle and then let your partner in (slowly) and position himself or herself as forward as possible - in the riding position as well.
You will probably need to compensate for your partner’s lack of experience by taking extra care of balancing the boat yourself - at least in the beginning.
The second problem is synchronizing your paddle strokes. It’s less of a problem if both of you are using canoe paddles, or if the front paddler is using a canoe paddle and you are using a double blade one.
If both paddlers are using double blade paddles the front paddler should just make slow strokes, switching regularly from left to right, regardless of tracking, turning etc. The back paddler’s paddle should follow the front paddle in parallel, touching the water a fraction of a second after the front one did, and getting out immediately after the front one.
The back paddler is also the de facto skipper, and he or she should take care of tracking, turning etc… This task can be quite demanding, especially in moving water, and this is why you’d better practice tandem W paddling on flat water first.
It is very helpful to be aware of the possibilities offered by the extra long W paddle in terms of controlling the length and direction of the stroke, J strokes etc.
This video shows a couple of W kayakers paddling in tandem in the surf - Needless to remind the viewer that both of them have some experience in W kayaking.
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Riding-over is basically a static position offering you to dip your feet in the water in case you want to cool down, and try yet another position in case you feel like changing. 
It’s practical for fishing, and since you can ride over the hull tips it enables establishing a bigger distance between two fishermen working from the same W kayak.
You can paddle in this position, as well as correct the kayak’s location.
