I took an S4 with me on a trip to my native Maryland, and today, I launched it out of our Nation’s newest marine sanctuary at Mallows Bay.
I fished the Potomac channel’s edge for the invasive Blue Catfish which taste very good. Right off, they started slamming the baits. I started taking video but the GoPro did not respond as it usually does. After some frustration, I put on my reading glasses to see no SD card displayed in fine print. Aaargh. Needless to say, I kept on fishing and caught over 200 lbs. of catfish in less than 3 hours. A couple are plus 20 pounders. The proof is in the pic taken from another camera. I don’t have a cooler big enough so they are packed on ice inside the S4 for distribution tomorrow morn.
I’m happy with the performance of my S4. It’s the stability and the fact 3 of us can go out together that I’m most happy with. I installed two boat seats that my father made, for extra comfort. Pretty simple, they jam into the holes in the saddle.
I’m planning to outfit the boat with an outboard motor.
Got to test out my new S4 at the lake with a Mercury 9.9 hp 2-cycle long shaft. Ran good. This motor weighs 78 lbs and not getting any younger, so I’m looking for a 6 hp 2 cycle as well.
I will get a tiller extension so I can drive from the middle of the boat and not the back.
This kayak paddles amazing.
My S700 is my new hobby, I love gliding over the lake in front of my house, day or night, and have been catching fish hand over fist. I also love spending quality time in it with my beautiful wife. The time has come for me to accessorize. I need cup holders and rod holders. I would appreciate if anyone would post examples. I see that many people put a small piece of rope around the cockpit of their Wavewalks through riveted eyelets, that sounds like a good idea. Any advice from more experienced owners would be awesome.
The S4 microskiff is a fully portable, car-topper boat
Updated June 13, 2024
A Car-Topper boat is a portable boat that’s so lightweight that it can be transported by car without using a trailer, and carried by hand or with a wheel cart over short distances, such as when launching it or taking it out.
Transporting a microskiff can be done on top of a vehicle (cartop), inside it, on a special platform (for pickup trucks), or on top of a trailer.
Carrying a microskiff can be done by hand (Portaging) or with a lightweight wheel cart (Dolly).
Kayaks are lightweight, and considered cartop boats. This is generally true, except for a small number of humongous kayaks (typically pedal driven fishing kayaks) that weigh over 120 lbs. The Wavewalk S4 microskiff weighs 100 lbs without a motor attached to it, and one person can cartop it, and store the motor inside the vehicle.
Except for a few ultralight portable boats, boats are too heavy to be car topped. Size and weight, namely the same factors that prevent boat owners from transporting them on top of their vehicles, also prevent them from carrying them.
The S4, Wavewalk’s seaworthy microskiff, weighs just 100 lbs.
A portable 6 HP 4-Cycle outboard motor weighs up to 60 lbs, and mounting it on the S4 is quick and easy.
The Wavewalk S4 is a cartop microskiff, and you can transport it on top of your vehicle, even if it’s an SUV, a minivan, or a van, while transporting the motor inside the vehicle.
If you transport your S4 on the bed of your pickup truck, you can leave the motor attached to it if you use a T-extension that hooks into a trailer hitch.
This video shows one person cart topping an S4 microskiff in 30 seconds:
Using ratcheted straps to attach your S4 to a roof rack, truck bed, or trailer, might lead to over-ratcheting, and damage the boat. Use only regular straps, or rope.
The ability to cartop a boat frees its owner from the need to park a boat trailer on their driveway, and from launching and beaching in special places, namely designated boat ramps. You can launch, carry and beach your S4 microskiff practically anywhere:
This photo gallery shows how S4 micrsokiff owners transport it on top of their vehicle, and inside it –
Car Topper Boat, SC
S4 microskiff mounted on pickup truck bed with T extension
S4 transported inside a Chevy Traverse
S4 microskiff transported on pickup truck bed
Wavewalk S4 microskiff car topped on SUV
S4 microskiff car topped on a minivan
S4 cartop microskiff on small SUV
S4 and W700 car topped on a large size SUV
S4 and W700 attached to the roof of a big SUV
S4 microskiff attached to the roof rack of a pickup truck
S4 microskiff car topped on a pickup truck
S4 microskiff on top of pickup truck bed
S4 microskiff transported on a pickup truck bed with a T-extension
S4 microskiff transported inside an SUV outfitted with a T-extension
S4 fly fishing microskiff transported inside a van
S4 microskiff car topped directly on electric sedan without a roof rack
S4 microskiff transported on pickup truck bed, Texas
S4 microskiff transported on pickup truck bed, Connecticut
S4 microskiff on Pickup truck NC
S4 microskiff on Pickup truck NC
Using a T-extension for a pickup truck bed
If you outfit your SUV, minivan or pickup truck with a T-extension, you can transport your S4 microskiff with the motor attached to it. In such case, you’d be advised to secure the propeller shaft with bungee cords or a special accessory, to prevent excessive shocks to the boat’s motor mount while your vehicle rolls over bumpy roads.
Using ratcheted straps to attach your S4 to a roof rack, truck bed, or trailer, might lead to over-ratcheting, and damage the boat. Use only regular straps, or rope.
Transporting on a trailer
The Wavewalk S4 microskiff is a seaworthy boat that allows you to fish in the ocean, and since it is lighter and narrower than any microskiff, it fits any kayak trailer, boat trailer, and utility trailer.
Transporting the S4 on a trailer can make loading and attaching it easier than if you cartop it. But the main advantage of a trailer over car-topping is that you can leave the motor attached to your S4.
The big disadvantage of transportation by trailer is that you have to wait for others to clear the boat ramp in order to access it with your vehicle.
A trailer can also takes the space of a vehicle in your garage, or on your driveway, and it requires registration.
Compact Trailers
Lightweight trailers that can be used for transporting the S4 sell for as little as $400. For example, Harbor Freight’s 40.5″ wide and 48″ long Haul-Master utility trailer that can be easily extended by a few feet using 2×4 timber and/or 2×2 aluminum tubing (see picture below). Similar products from Ironton and Northern Tools sell online at a similar price. A trailer this size weighs 150 lbs, and its footprint on your driveway is smaller than that of a full size trailer.
S4 microskiff transported on an extended compact trailer with a DIY extension
Ultralight flatbed trailer for S4 Microskiff
Photos: Captain Larry Jarboe, Key Largo
Other inexpensive trailers require no extension –
This 48″ W x 96″ L, $500 Haul-Master trailer requires no extension (Source: Harbor Freight)
Simple modifications to a boat trailer
DIY improvements to trailer, by Terry Wilkison, Guam
Modified trailer for S4 microskiff
Click images to enlarge
Terry: -“In Hawaii I used to launch my green S4 from my truck, which worked fine, but my goal now is to simplify the process of launching & recovering.
I shortened and narrowed a trailer that I had in Florida, and replaced its axle with a smaller, lighter capacity axle.
I tried to make the side bunks and bow stop as simple as I could with the materials I had on hand and without a welder.
The S4 fits tightly between the side bunks. I added a roller to the rear cross member, this is used as a stop and support for the engine to take strain off the transom when trailering.
Next I’ll start rigging this new white S4 for fishing here in Guam!”
Summary
Different modes of transportation come with different advantages and disadvantages, and S4 microskiff owners can switch between them according to their needs and possibilities. For example, if boat ramps in your area tend to be overcrowded during the boating season you’d better cartop your S4, or transport it inside your vehicle, if possible. However, if you’re going on a camping trip, and both your roof rack and the inside of your vehicle are packed with gear, you may want to transport your S4 on a trailer.
