Wavewalk 500 kayak with long tail surface drive for shallow streams exploration

By Keith Sylvester

West Virginia

I use a kayak to go in rivers and creeks for the purpose of relic hunting for Civil War and Colonial era artifacts with a waterproof metal detector.
I make videos of my adventures and publish them on my YouTube channel. I find items such as Civil War cannonballs, bullets, a colonial era shoe buckle, and sometime I get wildlife footage such as a black bear crossing the river.

My interest in a Wavewalk was primarily so that I could use a small gasoline motor in order to get to more remote areas that are too far to reach by paddling.
I have a “Swamp Runner Mini” long tail rig with a 3 HP motor that I thought would couple nicely with the W500. I was looking for a lower-cost alternative to a Mokai.
I found a sand-colored one with Joe Stauder, Wavewalk’s dealer in PA, and I drove up there to pick it up.

I have everything rigged up and ready. I made a short test run over the weekend and it went upstream very quickly in a fast current. The rivers here are all high right now but as soon as they come down, I’ll take it out and get some video and photos on the water.

 

 

Dog platform at the front

 

Light trailer for my Wavewalk S4, and sunset ride video

By Fin Gold

North Carolina

I usually keep my Wavewalk S4 on my dock so I can use it right there. But sometimes, we like to explore other areas. I don’t have a truck to transport it, so I decided to convert an old sailboat trailer into a Wavewalk S4 trailer.

All it took was some treated 2×6 and 2×4 boards, some U-bolts, and some ceramic deck screws.
I started with the trailer for a [brand name] sailing catamaran that I don’t use.
I’ve never trailered that boat.
The first step was to attach two 2×6 boards each with a U-bolt on the front and the back. On top of those, I screwed five 2×6 cross-boards so they support the boat from underneath all the way from front to back. Then I added 2×4 boards on both of the outside edges to provide an outer groove for the S4 to sit inside. A set of rollers from the sailboat trailer act as guides to align the inner hull of the S4.

The result? A very light but stable platform to pull my Wavewalk S4. When we get to the boat ramp we just back it down the ramp and the S4 slides off the trailer with an easy push. You should have seen the faces of the big boat owners at the ramp when I launched my boat with one finger!

The key to trailering the boat is to make sure it is tied down securely in the front and the back so that it doesn’t slide forward or backwards. I also have two lines over the top of the boat to hold it down, but be
careful not to over-tighten these and compress the hull. Also, remember to tilt the motor up if you have one so it doesn’t hit the ground as you trailer it.

Having a homemade trailer can extend the range of your Wavewalk adventures and save the hassle of loading it in or on top of your vehicle. All it takes is a used trailer and some treated boards!

 

More from Fin »

Wavewalk S4 motor kayak skiff high speed chase in narrow winding mangrove creek

This short movie shows Captain Larry Jarboe driving his S4 kayak skiff powered by a 9.8 HP Tohatsu outboard motor with a 6’3″ 260 lbs passenger on board, in a narrow and winding mangrove creek. The total payload carried by his S4 is over 500 lbs.
The S4 is perfectly stable and maneuvers easily despite the high speed and heavy load.

Larry is driving seated side-saddle, dinghy style, with both feet in the left hull and facing sideways, and his passenger rides the saddle PWC style, with a foot in each hull, and facing forward.

 

 

 

Motorized Wavewalk S4 for lobster fishing

By Jesse Stephenson

West Palm Beach, southeastern Florida

I got my Wavewalk S4 from capt Larry and love it.
I am a former Navy SEAL and have ridden many hours in inflatable boats, so I appreciate the stability and comfort of my S4, and I volunteered to be a local demo agent for it.
I rigged my Wavewalk for lobster fishing, and I am currently rigging it for diving.

 

 

Wavewalk S4 rigged for lobster fishing, with 4 HP Yamaha outboard motor

 

More Wavewalk S4 adventures with Jesse and Candy »