Wavewalk Kayaks

Norma is a seasoned kayaker, who has already contributed a kayak review of her 2004 W300.

I have many kayaks, and use all of them for different times and depending on who I’ll be paddling with.
I have gotten to a point of “what to get rid of” boat wise, and the Wavewalk will never be gotten rid of, as I love the boat because of the difference I feel when I paddle it.

I belong to a lot of different kayaking groups in different states, and I also participate in online kayaking forums. Once I posted a few positive remarks on the Wavewalk’s performance in different water conditions, and I was rebutted by someone who I’m very sure never paddled a Wavewalk kayak, but left serious demeaning comments of it. Funny, at the time I thought maybe those comments were made by a competitor trying to disclaim the Wavewalk without trying it first.

Mack (my dog) and I go solo most often in my Wavewalk, and feel totally secure in any condition we find. It is superior to other yaks in distance and comfort level for sure.
In my 10 ft W300 I have kept up with “serious“ sea kayakers, but they still refuse to try the Wavewalk - I just don’t get it… I tell them to watch the videos showing it in the surf, etc. It’s such a loss for them. I don’t get what they’re afraid they’ll be missing, other than the shape of their old kayak.

I did find it hard to rescue 2 paddlers in the water from the traditional rec kayaks to get them back into their boats as it was sinking without flotation as I was sitting higher with a dog, but then again they safely hung to my Wavewalk while their tandem kayak without flotation sank in the water, and were safely rescued from a motorboat that I flagged down.
I’ve never had to rescue a sea kayak as of yet, but I believe I sit too high to assist in such a recovery, other than maybe they can use my W hulls to help themselves.  It really depends on the kayaker in trouble to know enough to help themselves.
The Wavewalk is really different and most do not appreciate that yet. One day I believe they will.

I paddle away with or without my dog, and I’m not sure of what other kayakers think when they see me keeping up with them, especially in the rough conditions they paddle in sometimes.
Once I was told by some good kayakers I know that they had to rescue a sea kayaker, when I made it back fine from the same area with my W, and I had my dog on board. They told me these things at the landing launch, after their paddling trip, and I just smiled, knowing they knew I was paddling through the same area in a smaller boat they don’t accept…

I feel very safe in my W boat, and it is so comfortable.  I truly want it to be known, and a success.

August marks the beginning of the new fiscal year Wavewalk, and it’s a good time to compare y-o-y performance.
As it stands now, we sold 42% more kayaks in the 2008-9 year (August 1st to July 31st) compared to our previous fiscal year 2007-8, which in itself was pretty good.
The W500 is a big success, and it contributed significantly to this increase.
Overall, the pace of increased sales has been accelerating since 2006, in both our touring and fishing kayak models.

As for our website, another record was broken in July, with 18,638 unique visitors (real, individual people, that is). So far, our website attracted more than 100,000 unique visitors since the beginning of 2009.

-”After my wife Jeanne caught on easily on her first trip we decided to head to big water in beautiful door county Wisconsin on Lake Michigan. We faced almost record cold temps for this time of year, highs in the fifties and light showers.”

-”We didn’t venture out the first day but I snuck a little fishing in the second day on the mink river off of Rowley’s bay, lake Michigan. I had a little action with smallmouth bass and perch on leeches and a splitshot. The second day was all about taking in the scenery at cave point.”

-”Calm weather on that side of the peninsula allowed us to take in the beautiful scenery and take a little break, We did land up answering a lot of questions about the w kayaks from the on lookers at cave point state park.”

-”Something tells me that more orders from Wisconsin are going to be pouring in…

That evening on the other side if the peninsula the wind calmed down also.”

-”We headed to Ephraim bay and enjoyed glass like conditions and a wonderful sunset.”

-”We had a great trip thanks to our new w kayaks which made it enjoyable, comfortable, and safe.”

-”I also learned a lesson. The water may be calm, but don’t loose sight of the big picture, especially on the great lakes. I was standing at Cave point when a rogue wave snuck up behind me. I didn’t have a chance, the swell propelled the w forward and I went backwards. It was a clean dismount and the w did not flip. It was totally my fault and not the boats. I forgot for a second that I was on the big water. Always be aware what is going on around you knew before we headed out though that the water was a tolerable temperature, or of course I would not have been standing at all. Jeanne was entertained and I told her to snap some photos while I found a spot to empty the w kayak and get back in a wiser man.
Have a great fourth!
John and Jeanne”

Tim Kerr is a kayaker, and member of a kayaking club in Buffalo, New York. He came to West Newton, Massachusetts, tested the W500, and ordered one right away. Here is his review:

Buffalo, New York. June 29, 2009
The Wavewalk W500 has allowed me to return to the water!

After suffering from sciatica that developed after using my single hull kayak earlier this year, I searched for a more comfortable boat. Not only did I find the Wavewalk, I was immediately taken with its unique design that allows people like me with degenerative disk disease (I’m fifty-one) to lay back and rest, sit up straight or even stand and stretch out.

Kayaking is not for everyone but the Wavewalk opens the door for so many people that may have tried the sport and then gave it up because it just plain hurts their back. I’ve got a crushed disk that hates it when I stick my legs forward and then try to paddle as in a single hulled boat. The “saddle” combined with the twin hulls in the Wavewalk is a great invention.

I took the boat into the inner harbor in Buffalo. I didn’t try to lift it myself, I’ve got to be careful about such things. I brought along two extra items, a little waterproof pad to sit on, and a camera box on a leash. Attached are some pictures taken on my second day out. I spent the entire morning in the boat without back pain. The next day I was fine–no sciatica.

PS, I drove nine hundred miles in two days to try this boat, to be sure it was right. I’m glad I bought it. I’m “back” in the water again…

Tim Kerr

Tim beaching and getting out the W way: From the front, and without getting his feet wet

Added June 27, 2009:

-”Crossed the Niagara River last week. Was I the first in a Wavewalk? Paddling is going well. Going out to Lake Erie to play in some waves for the first time today…. Getting used to carrying it on the car and made a shelf in my garage for winter storage.”

Update from August 2009: Tim’s first movie W kayaking on Lake Erie, Pennsylvania

November 2009: Watch Tim’s Kayak Reentry Movie From Niagara River, NY

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…

Scott sent us more pictures from his Minnesota river trips, and here’s one that tells something about stability:

Scott tells: -”I paddled the Maple river in nice calm waters with good depth, my Pepsi was riding securely in front of me along side my camera.”

Well, if you can keep a soda can securely on your kayak’s deck without using a cup holder while you’re paddling down a sinuous river, it says something about your boat’s primary (initial) stability…

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.

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.



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.



Well, Nina managed to get that pink mini kayak for $400. It’s just her size. I gave her the high back air seat from the SOT kayak I won a couple of years ago at the Jacksonville classic kayak fishing tournament.

So it was yesterday we hit the water. The trip was a long one. Our adventure yesterday lasted around 12 hours of solid on the water time. Mostly touring and a little fishing. We traveled to find the end of Moses Creek from the intercoastal waterway. Got to the point we could go no further winding our way into narrow passages which at low tide we could only see down the water way the sides were too high. Sometimes we had to remove the rods and duck down under trees and brush. The area is known for gators and alike but we only heard crashing through the brush off to our sides ans saw none of them. A few times it was up and over logs just like on the W video.The W was right at home in those tight places. I should have thought to bring just Emmrods and it would have been easier. It got into the low 90s but water temps were still cool. All in all the W did the trip just fine. Twelve hours with limited getting out time is a long day but comfort wise it was great. With both boats rated in the 325 range she had me on the heavy load part. Speed wise I was a little faster over long range and would pull ahead over open water sections of the flats heading to the creek mouth.
I have found that for cleaning out the W after nasty trips like this one it’s easier to let the sand remaining inside after rinsing just dry out. Then it can be swept with a small brush and just scooped out of a the hulls. That way you get it all. Everything you get near the water here gets loaded with very fine sand particles. By the time we got back the W hull was loaded with mud, sand, sticks, leaves, live little crabs,assorted lunch trash, and some dirty water. Remember I mentioned once the W is a 4 wheeler kayak, this is proof of that.

We got in some really tight spots. The W took the trip on in fine shape. Being so short that really helped in this situation. A long boat in the 12 to 15 foot range would have been impossible to get around in tight quarters. Of course I also had the advantage of being able to stand to see over things, very difficult in almost any other boat. Of course I did try out Nina’s mini kayak. Aside from being sure nobody saw me in a bright pink boat it worked well. To tell the truth though I don’t think I could have done the 12 hours in it. The riding position in the W works for long periods. It’s very hard to explain to someone without them trying it. Logic would at first say that air seat with all the padding should be far more comfortable. But that is just not the case.

Got to tell you that trip was brutal. When we got back we were both wasted. Getting home we still had all the gear to clean up but we made it. We arrived home around 7PM but it was well after 9 buy the time I was finishing up the reels. Nina got enough sun to match the color of her new boat.

With the tide driving into or out of a narrow creek the water can really get moving. Moses Creek is serpentine, twisting and winding through the marsh. In reflecting on 12 hours in the saddle the W works well.
–Jeff (more…)

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.

Whether you’re on a paddling or fishing trip in shallow water, you don’t want to have to turn back, or worse - get stuck somewhere because of underwater obstacles. Such obstacles may be rocks, tree roots, fallen branches and fallen trees that prevent you from reaching your destination, be it an interesting place to tour or a promising spot to fish in.

If you have to turn back the W solution is either to paddle backwards, or turn the boat, or turn yourself inside the cockpit and face the direction from which you came from: The W kayak is fully symmetrical front and back and it feels the same paddling forward and backward.

Another strategy you can try is poling with your paddle (preferably the Wavewalk PSP), or going over the submerged obstacle - whether it’s top part is underwater or even a few inches above water:
You position yourself at the back of the cockpit, thus raising your W kayak’s bow. Then you paddle forward full speed and try to get the boat to go as forward as possible over the barrier. If you succeeded in getting the middle of the boat pas the obstacle you’re almost there, and you’ll have to move swiftly to the front part of the cockpit and thus make your W kayak tilt forward and go over the obstacle.
It may not be as easy as it sounds, but practice makes perfect, and in this case it’s fun too.
It’s also great to know that you’ve gone where no other canoe or kayak could go…
This video shows how it’s done: