Updated December 11, 2023
Balance vs Stability
Balance is sometimes synonym to stability, and it means the ability to remain upright and steady. For a kayaker or a boater, Balance refers to something they are able to do, namely balancing themselves, which is an ergonomic factor. Stability refers mainly to the vessel’s resistance to external lateral forces, such as waves, and/or to lateral shifts in the distribution of the weight that it carries on board, so it’s a Physical factor.
In the context of kayaking (human powered or motorized) and kayak fishing, balance can be described as ergonomic stability, and in Stability terms, it is the human contribution to the kayak’s Overall Stability, that is the combined human and physical factors that work to stabilize the kayak.
Balance is particularly important in small vessels that offer little stability, such as kayaks. Unlike motorcycles that offer no external stability but provide their users with excellent balancing capabilities, common kayaks (I.E. SOT and Sit-In kayaks) offer their users very little in balance terms. The difference comes from the fact that motor bikers ride a saddle seat with a leg on each side, while kayakers sit in a non-ergonomic posture called the L position, with their legs stretched in front of them. The Driver and passengers of a Jet-Ski ride a saddle that is similar to the saddle that motor bikers ride, and this enables them to balance themselves effectively, as well as balance their boat even at very high speeds and through big waves.
The patented Wavewalk kayaks are the only kayaks that offer their users to ride a saddle seat that’s similar to the saddle seats featuring in high performance vehicles including Jet-Skis (PWC), All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV), Motorcycles, and Snowmobiles. Therefore, people who paddle or drive a Wavewalk kayak benefit from optimal balance, which improves their own stability, as well as the overall stability of their kayak.
Another factor that greatly contributes to the balance of Wavewalk kayak users is the fact that the twin-hull (catamaran) design places maximal buoyancy under each of their feet, in a way that greatly improves the resistance of the kayak to lateral shifts in the weight that it carries on board. Practically, this means that a Wavewalk kayak will heel (tilt sideways) less than a common kayak when its users lean to one side for whatever reason, whether willingly or by accident, seated or standing up.
Read the main article about Kayak Stability on this website.
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