We definitely do not recommend transporting your S4 cartop microskiff with it resting directly on the roof of your car, without a roof rack, but since it’s possible, and there may be a case where there is no alternative for doing it, here is a picture that shows how it can be done successfully.
Note that Matt made sure to protect the roof of his car with a thick and wide mattress, and he used three straps to attach his S4 to it.
The big problem is not that uploading, transporting and downloading this 100 lbs microskiff might leave scratches on the car’s paint, but the worst case scenario is that if you don’t attach it well, it might fly away, and hit another vehicle.
Attaching a Wavewalk 700 or S4 to the roof of a car that does not feature a proper roof rack with crossbars is particularly risky in long distance trips, since the boat is exposed to powerful, high speed winds, as well as sudden stops, slowdowns and accelerations that are also characteristic of urban trips.
This is to say that extreme caution is advised, and stopping every now and then to check that the boat still sits well on top of the roof is very much recommended.
Needless to say that in such trips, your motor should be transported inside your car, and never stay attached to the boat.
The 2025 W720 Catamaran Kayak Skiff is the new model from Wavewalk’s W700 series.
W720 Classification
The W720 is classified as a Kayak. This means that if you motorize your W720 you will register it as a motorized kayak, and neither as a boat (monohull) nor as a multihull boat, such as the S4.
2025 W720 Colors
The 2025 W720 is offered in Gator Green, which is a dark, drab, khaki-style green such as typically seen in Jon boats and airboats. It’s a color that blends well with surrounding vegetation, and as such best serves applications such as inland fishing, wildlife photography, and duck hunting. We also offer the W720 in White.
W720 Features
The W720 Kayak Skiff features the same HDPE catamaran twin-hull, spacious cockpit, and watertight, jet-ski style saddle-seat as previous models from the W700 series, and similarly, it comes outfitted with 4 carry handles located at each of its 4 hull tips.
However, the W720 comes with a built-in support (mount) for a mounting plate for outboard motors up to 3 HP, and we ship this mounting plate with every W720.
Back Pain Free Kayak
Like all Wavewalk’s boats and kayaks, the W720 features a comfortable saddle seat that totally back pain free »
W720 Weight: 85 lbs including a new integrated motor mount
The patented catamaran W720 is a more stable kayak than any other kayak out there, including the biggest, widest and heaviest SOT fishing kayaks.
W720 vs W700?
The 2025 W720 is Wavewalk’s newest model in the W700 series.
Unlike previous W700 models, the W720 features a new, higher wooden saddle bracket at the stern, behind its saddle seat, and a new mounting plate for an outboard motor up to 3 HP. The mounting plate is attached to both the boat’s stern and the new wooden mounting plate.
Together, the wooden mounting plate and the wooden saddle bracket form the W720 motor mount for outboard motors up to 3 HP.
Unlike previous models of the W700, the 2025 W720 kayak skiff is offered in Gator Green, and in White.
The W720 allows its users to attach an electric motor or a lightweight outboard gas motor up to 3 HP directly to the transom, for use as backup and/or auxiliary propulsion on top of paddling, as well as for trolling and traveling in calm and mildly choppy water.
The W720 kayak-skiff’s extreme light weight allows for easy car-topping and transportation, as well as easy carrying (portaging) over difficult terrain, sand, rocks, etc.
Users of the W720 can launch and beach it practically anywhere. Unlike other motorized kayaks, driving the W720 kayak-skiff is easy, intuitive, and effective, including launching, starting, changing gears, refueling on the water, driving standing, driving in moving water, and driving with a passenger on board. None of these things works well with other motorized kayaks, where accessing the motor from the cockpit is very hard or even impossible, and stability is poor.
Integrated Motor Mount vs Add-On Motor Mount
Older W700 models did not feature a motor mount, and they were offered with an optional add-on motor mount. The W720 is the first model from the W700 series that features a new, integrated motor mount that’s similar to the S4 motor mount. This new, standard integrated motor mount is both lightweight and strong.
We do not recommend driving the W720 in rough water
The reason – better safe than sorry. If you’re looking for a seaworthy cartop boat, get the Wavewalk S4.
Do not outfit your W720 with a motor that’s over 3 HP
W720 Advantages: The main advantages of the W720 over the S4 are its lower weight and the fact that it’s easier for one person to paddle. A typical 2.5 HP outboard weighs 30 lbs, and a typical 6 HP motor weighs 60 lbs. This means that when motorized, the 85 lbs W720 weighs 115 lbs, while a 100 lbs S4 outfitted with a 6 HP outboard weighs up to 160 lbs. It’s a noticeable difference, especially if only one user has to carry it.
S4 Advantages: The S4 is much faster and much more stable and seaworthy than the W720, and its higher volume and load capacity offer more onboard storage, as well as more room onboard for passengers.
In sum, the S4 is a high performance, seaworthy, multi-hull cartop boat that you can drive anywhere and paddle effectively, while the W720 is a stable and comfortable catamaran kayak skiff that you can paddle and drive effectively and comfortably on calm water.
Top: W720, Bottom: S4
Components of the W720 transom motor mount
3/4″ thick MDO (Medium Density Overlay), urethane coated saddle bracket that includes a supporting plate for the mounting plate.
3/4″ thick MDO urethane coated mounting plate that the user installs by means of two 5/16″ diameter bolts and two screws, and to which the motor is attached.
W720 bracket. The two arms at the bottom help prevent the catamaran hulls from splaying, and the plate at the top plate serves as support for the W720 motor mounting plate.3/4″ thick W720 mounting plate for lightweight outboard motor up to 3 HP.
Installation Instructions for the W720 Mounting Plate
The plate comes with two 5/16″ carriage bolts, two self-locking nuts, and two 1.5″ screws.
Place the mounting plate as shown in the above picture, with the side that features the screw marks facing outward (i.e. backward).
Use a 5/16 drill bit to drill through the 5/16 holes from the outside of the cockpit inwards, all the way to the other side of the support plate, inside the cockpit.
Push the carriage bolts from within the cockpit outwards (forcefully), and secure tightly with the self-locking nuts, as seen in the pictures below.
Install the two screws sightly in the two marks below the bolts.
You can apply some Goop watertight adhesive over the heads of the bolts and nuts, or spar urethane.
Attach your motor to the mounting plate.
Drive carefully.
W720 Mounting Plate – Interior View. The heads of the 5/16 carriage bolts are facing inwards.W720 Mounting Plate – Exterior View. The 5/16 carriage bolts are pointing outwards.
Do not outfit your W720 with a motor that’s over 3 HP
Anglers, experienced or new to fishing, who fish on a budget, and/or don’t like the hassle involved in owning and operating a big boat, ask themselves whether they should fish out of kayaks or small boats (including microskiffs), since both types of watercraft offer similar advantages in terms of low cost, low maintenance, and the fact that both require reduced space for storing them, compared to big boats.
This article compares top of the line, full-size, fully accessorized SOT and sit-in kayaks that are designed specifically for fishing, to small boats, including Jon boats, small microskiff, dinghies, and square-stern canoes designed to be outfitted with small outboard gas motors.
In addition, at the end of every topic, we will include a few words on how Wavewalk’s W700 catamaran kayak and S4 cartop cat microskiff compare to conventional kayaks, small boats, and conventional microskiffs
The S4 cat microskiff offers unrivaled performance both as a fishing kayak and a seaworthy portable motor boat
Content –
Price and Cost of Ownership
Propulsion and Power
Physical Exercise vs Range of Travel
Safety
Stability
Basic Comfort – The Seat Problem
Kayaks’ Foot Braces – More Discomfort
Fishing Functionality (a.k.a. ‘Fishability’)
A Standing Problem
Lean at Your Own Risk – The Lean Bar
Steering
Onboard Storage
Transportation and Carrying
Multiple Users
1. Price and Cost of Ownership
Low cost seems to be the main attribute that makes both kayaks and small boats attractive to most people who use them for fishing, so we’ll start by discussing the economics of owning a fishing kayak and a small motorboat.
How much does a good fishing kayak cost?
It’s hard to tell, but since there are dozens of fishing kayaks priced at over $2,500, among which quite a few that cost over $3,000, we conclude that a top of the line fishing kayak costs over $2,500. According to Yaklogic.com, the average price of a pedal driven kayak is around $2,700.
Conclusion? -Fishing kayaks are not cheap.
How much does a small boat cost?
This is truly impossible to tell, due to the huge range of types and models, but a quick look on the Internet would reveal that a 15 ft brand name Jon boat can cost as little as $1,500, and a 14 ft Jon boat can cost less than $1,000. Both sums are for the boat itself with neither a motor nor a trailer.
A popular board-style microskiff for a single person costs less than $2,000 without shipping, and another board-style “skiff” is offered for $3,500. However, some microskiffs cost over $20,000, but arguably, they are too big ticket items to be called small boats.
A small outboard motor costs between one thousand and a few thousand dollars, and a trailer for a small boat costs less than a thousand dollars, so the total cost of a small boat, is still in the same ballpark as the cost of an expensive kayak, especially since the biggest kayaks weigh over 120 lbs, and require a trailer for transportation.
In sum, an expensive fishing kayak can cost the same and more than an inexpensive small boat, and if you need a trailer to transport it, you have the same footprint in your driveway, or your backyard, and this means a similar cost of ownership.
The W700 catamaran kayak is priced at $2,900 plus shipping, and the S4 cartop cat microskiff at $3,400 plus shipping. Both the W700 and S4 can be car topped by one person, so buying a trailer to transport them is truly optional. Conclusion? Despite their superior design and performance compared to kayaks and small boats, neither the W700 nor the S4 are much more expensive.
2. Propulsion and Power
Technically, propulsion is the main difference between kayaks and small fishing boats. Kayaks are essentially human powered, namely paddled or pedaled, while small boats are motorized, and they are hard and sometimes even impossible to propel without a motor. Even the smallest outboard gas engine is many times more powerful than a human being, or a tandem crew, and this fact makes a big difference. Outboard gas motors are more powerful than electric motors too, but in our view, any motor is better than no motor, for a number of reasons that will be discussed here.
Both the W700 and S4 can be easily and effectively paddled with either canoe or kayak paddles, and both can be easily and effectively motorized with powerful outboard gas motors. Some S4 owners outfit their boat with a powerful gas outboard motor at the stern, and a silent electric trolling motor at the bow, bass-boat style.
3. Physical Exercise vs Range of Travel
Kayaks offer an advantage to anglers who want to get some physical exercise while they look for fish, but this advantage turns into a problem for people who focus solely on catching fish, since kayaks severely limit both their range of travel and on the time they can spend fishing, since due to their slowness, kayaks force their users to spend more time traveling to fisheries and back from them.
Motorboats are much faster than human powered kayaks, and their range of travel is many times bigger. However, they are more limited than kayaks as far as launching and beaching are concerned, as well as in their ability to go in shallow water, except when compared to pedal driven kayaks that draft more than regular, paddle kayaks.
The W700 and S4 have a range of travel of a small motorboat, and both are very pleasant to paddle, more than kayaks are, since Wavewalk paddlers ride a comfortable, high saddle-sea, and they are not required to sit in the notorious L kayaking position. The W700 and S4 deliver the best in both worlds (and some more).
4. Safety
Neither kayaks nor small fishing boats may be considered as seaworthy in the full sense, because they cannot go in the ocean or on big rivers and lakes when weather and water get rough. However, boats are safer than kayaks, whose feeble human propulsion limits their ability to cope with wind, waves, and currents. In other words, your chances of being swept offshore are much greater if you’re paddling oe pedaling a kayak than if you’re driving a small motorboat.
Another reason why kayaks are less safe than small boats is that they provide less free board and less stability, which is why kayakers are more exposed to the elements, and are more likely to fall overboard or flip their kayaks. This leads us the the next subject, which is the most important of all:
5. Stability
Even the biggest and widest SOT and sit-in kayaks deliver stability that’s sub par compared to a typical, average size small boat. Simply, the stability that monohull (conventional) kayaks deliver is sub minimal, and stability is the key factor that drives both safety and comfort. If you are not stable you cannot be safe – Your body is good at recognizing unsafe conditions, and it would try to alert you about your instability, and respond to it, and as long as it does, you will feel neither relaxed nor confident, which inevitably means that you won’t be comfortable. Sitting in an expensive padded seat won’t change much for you (see next paragraph) –
The W700 catamaran kayak is more stable than any SOT or sit-in out there, and the S4 cat microskiff is more stable than any boat of comparable size.
6. Basic Comfort – The Seat Problem
In the past decade, SOT and sit-in kayak manufacturers became aware of the back pain problem that users experience when paddling and fishing while being seated in their kayaks in the L position. So these manufacturers stuffed their kayaks’ seats with more foam and more gel, without achieving noteworthy results: Their kayaks kept being uncomfortable for most people to use, and they kept inducing back pain and leg numbness.
Then came the new trend of higher kayak seats, and seats offering adjustable height. These larger seats are typically made from woven material stretched over a light metal frame, and their shape is reminding of beach seats or stadium seats.
The basic idea behind this kayak seat design is to allow the user to sit a few inches higher, and by doing so alleviate some of the pressure exerted on their lower back, also known as lumbar spine, as well as decrease the stress from the kayaker’s legs.
Does this ergonomic system work? -Sadly, no, and the reason has to do with the faulty ergonomic reasoning behind it: The fact that the angler sits higher yet they keep their basic L position with their legs stretched in front of them makes it more challenging for them to balance their kayak, since the kayak’s center of gravity (CG) goes higher, without its user gaining better means to stabilize either themselves or their kayak.
The only thing you can do while seated in such kayak seats is try to stretch your legs a little more, and increase muscle tension in them. This means you have to make a bigger physical effort, continuously, and therefor exert more horizontal pressure on your back. The increased effort and muscle tension increases your discomfort, fatigue, as well as back pain – Problem unsolved.
On top of this, the seat’s higher and wider backrest is in the way of the kayaker’s shoulders and upper arms when they paddle and cast lines. It further restricts the little range of motion they have, and further limits their ability to change positions and give their back and neck some respite.
Simply put, the L kayaking position imposed by the unstable mono-hull kayak design is the cause of an unsolvable problem, which means that it is not a really a problem, but a given. The only way to paddle a kayak and fish from it without feeling discomfort and pain is to do it riding the saddle of a Wavewalk catamaran kayak.
Unlike kayaks, small boats offer a range of seats, from simple benches to high swivel seats, which enable normal sitting, and this makes them ergonomically superior to kayaks. The only exception to this rule are some motorized boards classified as microskiffs that feature box-like seats that provide too little comfort when the user drives with one arm reaching behind them to hold the motor’s tiller, and their legs stretched forward in an attempt to offer some balance. A kayak or boat that fails to offer its driver good means to balance themselves, is effectively less stable.
Wavewalk’s patented twin-hulled watercraft feature high saddle seats similar to the seats in personal watercraft (PWC / Jet-ski), All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV), motorcycles, and other high-performance vehicles. The driver and passengers ride these seats with a leg in each hull, in the most stable and ergonomic manner possible on a small boat. Whether you ride the Wavewalk saddle or stand with a foot on each side, you’re guaranteed not to suffer from back problems as a result.
7. Kayaks’ Foot Braces – More Discomfort
To begin with, the big ‘barge’ kayak’s cockpit features sophisticated foot braces that take too much room away from the user’s feet and legs. Let’s face it – being seated for a long period of time is not a pleasant thing, especially when you’re wet or partially wet, and you’re stuck in the notorious L kayaking posture that causes discomfort, leg numbness and back pain. Therefore, being able to move your legs is important, and restricting the space available for your feet and legs to move can only aggravate the problem – Think traveling coach in an airliner, and the magnitude and severity of this ergonomic problem would become clearer to you, especially if you’re neither a small, skinny, or young and physically fit person.
Small boats do not force their users and passengers to sit in postures that are uncomfortable to them, and they don’t force them to stick their feet in any particular location. This is an significant ergonomic advantage that most small boats have over SOT and sit-in kayaks.
The W700 and S4 do not feature foot braces, or any other limitation on the driver and passengers’ feet. Elderly Wavewalk owners and owners who suffer from various back problems report spending entire days in their W700 and S4 without feeling any physical problem.
8. Fishing Functionality (a.k.a. ‘Fishability’)
Kayak manufacturers strive to make their fishing kayaks appeal to anglers, but this continuous effort produces designs that are increasingly dysfunctional, and in other words, lack ‘fishability’ –
The most obvious manifestation of this trend is the proliferation of expensive, enormous, extra-wide, heavy and cumbersome, hard to paddle and pedal, and practically impossible to carry or car top kayaks dubbed ‘barges’. Barges are hard for their owners to move on land and on water.
But it’s not just the size of those beastly yaks that makes one wonder whether they may actually defeat the purpose of kayak fishing, that is fishing from a nimble and portable craft, nor the fact that their manufacturers tout them as being suitable for fishing standing (they are not, unless you’re an acrobat) – it’s the fact that they’ve become overly accessorized, to a point where it’s hard for their users to fish from them.
An overly accessorized fishing kayak is a kayak that makes it hard for you to fish from it. You may simply call this problem Clutter.
Let’s take a look at the kayak’s cockpit area, sometimes called the ‘deck’ in SOT and hybrid kayak models –
The kayak’s cockpit, or deck, should provide the angler with maximum range of motion and comfort, and in this sense any additional item attached to it is potentially counterproductive. Furthermore, the negative effect of any additional object in such a restricted space is amplified due to the fact that it encroaches on an increasingly restricted space.
While small boats offer a wide, open, and clutter-free space in front of the angler, kayaks’ decks feature, among other things, a leaning bar, deck mounted rod holders, foot braces, electronics, one or more storage hatch, deck mounted rod holders, a rudder’s handle, and possibly more… And the angler who sits there with their own legs surrounded by all this gear, is expected to handle their tackle successfully in this overcrowded space, and land fish there, safely. And the list does not stop here, since among these unproductive objects are also live bait tanks and live fish tanks… and even the pedals of a pedal drive that you, the angler can push or rotate with your feet, while attempting to stabilize yourself with one hand and manipulating the rudder with the other. Interestingly, these simultaneous activities are being promoted as ‘hands-free fishing’.
This is yet another example of how the fundamental economics law of diminishing returns works: At some point, ‘More is Less’, and fishing kayaks have reached this point years ago.
In contrast, small boats don’t present to their users such unwanted challenges, except for the motorized paddle boards classified by their manufacturers as microskiffs, which are deficient as far as proper workspace is concerned, and therefore offer reduced functionality.
Kayak manufacturers are engaged in a verbal competition, and one of the fronts in this battle is over the notion of kayak fishing standing. Kayak manufacturers have come to realize that in order to get anglers interested in their kayaks they need show that their kayaks are stable. The best way to do is to show someone fishing standing in the kayak’s cockpit. Whether this scenario is practical for the average middle aged or elderly angler out there, or for anglers who happen to be somehow overweight, or tall, or suffer from balancing issues is a whole different story. The same problem applies to those kayaks’ stability in real-world conditions, such as when the stand-up angler loses balances for some reason, and they’re required to sit down swiftly in order to regain it…
Furthermore, who wants to stand up and fish while constantly having to pay attention to their balance and allocating considerable physical and mental resources to such task?
If you stand in a boat and fish from it, you need to be able to focus on fishing and on nothing else, and you want to enjoy fishing without a little red light blinking in the back of your head warning you to watch out and maintain your precarious balance or you’d go swimming with your tackle…
How is this related to superfluous accessories? – Well, kayak manufacturers devised yet another way to clutter the decks of their fishing kayak models, and they do it all the way by outfitting their top of the line models with leaning bars –
10. Lean at Your Own Risk – The Lean Bar
What’s a lean bar, or lean frame? It’s a large size, vertical metal frame that the angler can erect in the front part of their kayak’s deck. The idea behind this device is that when the angler stands up in their mono-hull (sit-in, SOT or hybrid) kayak they feel unstable (well, they are indeed unstable), and they would like to hold on to something, or lean on something in order to feel less unstable.
It’s a purely psychological notion, since such bar cannot increase the limited, actual (physical, I.E. real-world) stability that the kayak offers, because what determines that kayak’s stability are its form and its size, in other words – its design, and how it distributes the kayak’s volume (size) and buoyancy to achieve maximal stability.
This is to say that a lean bar may offer the angler some (potentially hazardous) illusion of stability in a best case scenario, while significantly reducing the kayak’s usability by adding to the already severe clutter in its cockpit.
In fact, such a large-size metal frame stuck in front of the angler is a perfect recipe for a perfect storm, when one considers things that constantly move in that small space, such as fishing poles, fishing lines, fishhooks, lures and bait, and sometimes fish too. seriously, who wants to cast lines and haul fish with a metal frame in front of them? It doesn’t make sense.
This said, some motorized boards that are marketed as microskiffs feature a lean bar, because driving them standing would be too risky without the driver holding something in order to stabilize themselves.
No one has ever outfitted their Wavewalk 700 kayak or S4 microskiff with a leaning bar, because there is no need for accessory on board these watercraft. If you like driving standing at full throttle in rough water, and you feel like grabbing something with your hand that’s not busy steering, you can attach a strap or a rope to the bow, and hold it.
11. Steering
High-end fishing kayaks require that their users operate rudders for tracking and steering. A rudder slows down the kayak and imposes on the paddler yet another activity (I.E. steering) that they’d rather do without.
Tracking in one of those heavy and extra-wide ‘Barge’ kayaks is virtually impossible without a rudder, especially in the presence of wind and/or current.
In case you’ve already realized that pedal driven kayaks draft much more than kayaks propelled by paddles, you may also be interested to know that rudders have a similar effect on draft as propellers and flaps have, namely that they increase it, since the rudder’s tip is more submerged than the kayak’s bottom. This can be a problem if you’re going in shallow water.
In contrast to kayaks, steering small boats is simple and easy, and it’s typically done by holding the outboard motor’s tiller, or a tiller extension. Either way, the driver controls both the boat’s direction and the motor RPM.
Both the W700 and the S4 are easier to paddle than conventional SOT and sit-in kayaks are. This is due to the fact that as true catamarans, the W700 and s4 track very well, and they do not require rudders. When driven, the W700 and S4 are as easy to steer as other small boats and microskiffs are.
12. Onboard Storage
Fishing kayaks are outrageously deficient in onboard storage – Storage hatches are too small and too shallow for storing large size objects, and they are not located conveniently.
Small boats offer plenty of onboard storage, and their users have no problem accessing their gear whenever they need to. The exception to this ideal situation are motorized boards dubbed microskiffs and solo skiffs that offer almost no free board, have no real onboard storage to speak of, and their decks are exposed to wakes and waves.
The W700 catamaran kayak offers dozens of times more onboard storagethan any other kayak does, and the onboard storage offered by the S4 microskiff is so big that it is comparable in size to the onboard storage found in a regular boat.
13. Transportation and Carrying
By Transportation we mean taking the boat by motor vehicle, over land, to a launching spot and back, and by Carrying we mean taking the boat from the transporting land vehicle to the water, and back.
In principle, a kayak should be lightweight enough for its user to cartop it, but in practice, ironically, top-of-the line fishing kayaks are so big and heavy that they require transportation by trailer, as if they were boats. A vessel that cannot be car topped cannot be carried by hand, unless its user does it by means of a wheel cart.
The W700 weighs 80 lbs without a motor, and the S4 weighs 100 lbs without a motor, and both can be car topped by one person. Both can be carried using a wheel cart, and both can be pulled over natural surfaces without a wheel cart, with the exception of deep sand that makes it more difficult to drag the Wavewalk with an outboard motor attached to it.
14. Multiple Users
Fishing kayaks are essentially vessels for one person to fish from, and indeed, the typical crew of a fishing kayak consists of a single angler. Tandem fishing kayaks are unpopular, mainly because they are even less functional in fishing terms than solo kayaks are.
Another reason for the unpopularity of tandem fishing kayaks is their high price (up to $6,500), which exceeds the price of many excellent, good-size fishing boats. The third reason is that tandem fishing kayaks are very large and heavy (up to 240 lbs!), which makes it impossible for a single user to move them either on land or on water.
In sum, tandem fishing kayaks are barges.
In comparison, small fishing boats are designed to take two or more passengers on board, and if required, allow them to fish at the same time without problems. The exception to this are motorized boards dubbed solo skiff, which are promoted as ‘kayak on steroid’.
The W720 catamaran kayak weighs just 85 lbs, which is less than a typical full size solo fishing kayak, and being more stable than any other kayak, it allows for two full size anglers to fish from it in full comfort, sitting and standing.
The S4 cartop cat skiff weighs 100 lbs without a motor, and It is more stable than motorboats of comparable size, which makes it possible to up to three adult passengers to fish from it sitting or standing. The S4 is lightweight and nimble enough for one person to cartop, carry over rugged terrain, paddle, and drive.
In sum, these two patented watercraft effectively cover the entire range of applications that both fishing kayaks and small boats do, and more.
Motorized kayaks are becoming popular, and Wavewalk is a pioneer as well as the world leader in this field in terms of stability, load capacity, seaworthiness, speed, versatility, mobility, comfort, and more.
By motorizing a kayak we mean adding a motor to it, so that you can switch from human powered propulsion to driving and vice versa whenever you need to or feel like.
What are the advantages of motorized kayaks over non-motorized ones?
1. Motorizing is easier than paddling
Not everyone can paddle their kayak over long distances, or in less than perfect conditions. Some kayakers suffer from disabilities, and others are elderly or not physically fit. Assisted paddling, namely paddling while an electric motor provides your kayak with additional propulsive power makes things easier, be it in strong wind, fast currents, or waves, as well as on flat water. When you motorize, you save your own energy, and you’re more comfortable.
2. Having a motor is safer than depending solely on paddling
A human powered kayak is an under powered vessel, by definition. In a sustained mode, an average adult paddler can produce between one tenth of a horsepower and one quarter of a horsepower, and this is very little, even in comparison to weak electric motors. In case you’re too tired to paddle back to your starting point, or due to unfavorable changes in water or weather conditions, being able to propel your kayak with a motor can be a critical factor that could save your trip, and even your life – A motorized kayak is safer than a non-motorized one.
3. A motor greatly increases your range of travel
Simply, having an extra source of power on board allows you to go further, since you can paddle to your destination, and motorize on the way back. So, whether you’re on a touring, fishing or on a photography trip, the motor allows you to cover more water, explore, and go to more places.
4. A motor allows you to take a bigger payload on board – cargo and/or passengers
You may want to take a passenger on board, or load your kayak with heavy camping gear, but this additional weight could make it too hard for you to paddle. In such case, a motor could make the difference.
5. Motors work well for trolling
You can paddle your kayak and fish at the same time, namely engage in trolling, but an electric trolling motor or a small outboard gas motor can do a better job than your paddle.
6. Driving a motorized kayak is fun!
Driving a motorized kayak can be fun too, especially if it’s a Wavewalk that’s outfitted with a powerful outboard motor. And driving standing, which is an option that all Wavewalk models offer, is even more fun – It’s comparable to skiing, except you’re going on water and not on snow, and it’s also comparable to water skiing, except for the fact that you’re free to go anywhere you want, including in choppy water and in waves, and you don’t depend on a powerboat to tow you.
7. A motor can get you where you couldn’t paddle
A Wavewalk outfitted with a mud motor (surface drive) can go where other boats can’t, and even where human powered kayaks can’t, such as mud flats, fast streams, etc.
8. Driving saves time
Updated December 11, 2023
An S4 Wavewalk kayak outfitted with a powerful outboard motor can go at 16 mph for as long as you want. This is many times faster than what a strong kayaker in a fast kayak (that is not a typical fishing kayak) can sustain for a limited amount of time, on flat water. In other words, a motor kayak can get you much faster to where you want to go, and back.
9. Motor boating is cool, and speed is exciting
Not everyone likes paddling, and not everyone thinks it’s cool. You may want to take someone on board your kayak, be it a child, your wife, an elderly parent, a fishing buddy, etc., and find that kayaking (or canoeing) doesn’t appeal to them, but going in a motorboat would, and to some of them the appeal would be greater if you go at high speed.
10. Helping other kayakers
Having a kayak powered by an outboard motor puts you in a unique position of being able to help other kayakers. You could do it by carrying heavy camping equipment on board your motorized kayak (realistically, only a Wavewalk…), taking passengers that aren’t fit for paddling, and by towing other kayaks.
