Review of the Wavewalk 500 kayak

By Gary Rankel

I’m a retired biologist who worked for decades assisting Indian tribes throughout the country in managing their fish and wildlife resources.
I’m in my seventies now, and I live in Florida.
Fishing has been my passion since I was young, and I prefer to fish in saltwater, where I go for redfish, sea trout, snook, and other popular local fish species.
I practice catch and release, unless someone close (wife or neighbors) orders a particular fish from me for dinner.
I fish alone and with other kayak anglers.

I got my first W300 kayak in 2006, and liked it a lot. Since then I’ve upgraded to the new model, a W500, and I like it even better.

Over the years, I’ve owned various fishing boats, and I stuck to the Wavewalk 500 for several reasons; its unmatched stability, comfort and dryness, and the fact that unlike other kayaks it doesn’t hurt my back even if I spend the entire day fishing in it. I can stand up and unkink anytime I want, or lay down on the saddle and stretch.
It’s also lightweight, and that makes it easy for me to take it from my pickup truck to the beach, and back, even with all my fishing gear loaded inside its hulls.

Paddling my W is easy for me, even in harsh weather as it tracks perfectly without the need for a rudder.
In recent years, I’ve discovered the pleasures of wildlife photography out of my W kayak.
I’m planning to add a motor at some point so I can cover even greater distances. I had first opposed the idea of motorizing my kayak, but the numerous videos posted on Wavewalk’s blog have changed my mind.

All in all, it’s the most comfortable and functional fishing kayak I’ve seen.

Gary Rankel
Hernando, Florida

Some pictures of Gary and his fishing buddies:

Click images to enlarge