WAVEWALK KAYAKS

Have fun watching this movie

This is the first time I try paddling in tandem with a paddler that’s heavier than me, while I paddle standing up.
Craig is 215 lbs, and I’m 200 lbs, and with our gear etc. our combined weight was 440 lbs, and that’s 80 lbs above the max recommended load capacity for the W500, which is 360 lbs.
It was fun, and pretty easy, although the overloaded W500 was somehow sluggish.

I mean it.

Craig Masterman came to visit yesterday. Craig is a saltwater kayak fly fisherman who’s been fly fishing out of his W300 for the past couple of years, mainly in Cape Cod and Florida.
He enjoyed paddling the W500, and fishing from it, and soon he’ll get his own, yellow W500.

Craig and I paddled the W500 kayak in tandem, and we both were surprised to see how easy it was, and how well the boat performed considering it was visibly overloaded, as our combined weight exceeded the maximum recommended load by 20% : Craig weighs 215 lbs, I weigh 200 lbs, and with our paddles shoes and clothes the total load was about 440 lbs, while the max recommended load for the W500 is 360 lbs.

The kayak moved at a reasonable speed, presented no significant balance issues, and was even pretty easy to maneuver considering the unusual circumstances.

The last time I did something like was when Jeff McGovern to visit me back in October of 2008. Before that I had paddled the W300 in tandem during demos, with (sometimes frightened…) clients, one of which was Craig, back in the summer of 2008

And one last thing: The W500 is such a pleasure to paddle because it’s only 28.5 inches wide, unlike common fishing kayaks that are much wider, and therefore are slow, clumsy, and difficult to paddle with or without a rudder.

Yoav

I took my wife’s cousin, Paulene, who is visiting from England, to the Crystal River yesterday to see some manatees. It was not only her first time in a W, it was her first time in a kayak, and she did well during a 2 mile paddle (maybe a blister or two on her hands).

The trip also gave me a chance to paddle in tandem with my wife for the first time, and I was surprised at how fast we were able to go despite the extra weight and me being the only paddler (I think I’m going to have to order another paddle from you, for times like these).
The two W’s also fit nicely into my new truck.
We only saw one manatee. Guess the warmer water has moved them out into the Gulf (hopefully not anywhere near the oncoming oil spill which is really scary).

Gary

Paddling a kayak in tandem isn’t easy, as anyone who tried would tell you.
Getting two teenage brothers to do something together isn’t easy either, as frustrated parents would attest.
Therefore, putting two teenage brothers in one kayak and getting them to paddle it in tandem should be considered a particularly ambitious project, unless that kayak happens to be the Wavewalk W500:

The paddlers are 14 year old Yadin and his 11 year old brother Yanay.
Their aggregate weight is 235 lbs.




Rod Ratzlaff, a Colorado kayaker and eclectic outdoorsman, got his W500 earlier this year, and we already published his ‘first impression’ kayak review on this blog.
Since then, Rod wrote a full featured article about his W500 kayak, and kindly contributed a copy to our website.

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

Yoav

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.

Thanks again and happy paddling!

-=John




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.