I really thought my career was over before I got a W500 kayak

By Robbie Cairl, Massachusetts

The W500 is as comfortable as any seat in my house. My back feels so good while I am kayaking now, I really thought my career was over before I got a W500. I absolutely love it. I mean that so sincerely, but to say I have been out a dozen times usually for over 3 hours and a couple of times for 7 hours says it better. Yesterday was a drift on the Deerfield River with a couple of friends and just to be a wiseacre I stood up through several sets of class 1 rapids with no instability. In fact being higher up I could scout the rapids better. Not that I recommend such foolishness.
I have been meaning to check in but I wanted a snap shot worthy of my appreciation, it’s just that we are all more interested in fishing and paddling than photographing. I must recruit a friend to take a couple of shots next time I go out.
Getting the yak on and off the car gets easier every time and lashing the hulls to the roof rack instead of going all the way over the yak is easy and stable. I went up to Vermont on 91 twice, cruising at 65 with no movement or annoying strap hum.
I love changing positions, standing while paddling and especially fishing from a standing position, again increasing visibility. I understand why you asked that I use it for half an hour before showing it off to friends. A very steep learning curve, I was so comfortable in half an hour and now after what I estimate to be over 50 hours I am a hopeless show off.
I love the looks I get while driving or on the water. Everyone has to ask about it. The park ranger at Wilgus State Park in VT is an avid kayak fisherman and proudly showed me his very expensive kayak/canoe hybrid. He looked mine over and was very curious. As luck would have it we met on the water later that day and he got to see the W in action. The next day he excitedly told me he looked on line and how impressed he was and how ergonomically well designed and on and on. I was very kind and feigned interest. But on the inside I was like, I know friend I know. I bought one!
Oh, problems? I had to transport 90% of the camping equipment when a friend and I went camping on Grout Pond in Vermont last weekend. We only were a half mile from the launch but made it in one trip. With 2 conventional yaks it would have been several trips at best. That would have been a great photo, sorry, all the coolers and tents piled up and you couldn’t even see all the supplies in the hull. But seriously, I am only more excited and pleased than my wildest dreams every time I go out.

Owner Review of Wavewalk 500

Wavewalk Owner Experience

Paul Harrison, Mississippi

Spotted a thread on the Wavewalk and thought I would toss out my experience with it.

I am a 2+ years owner of a model W500 Wavewalk kayak. I am 52 yrs old, about 5’10”, and unfortunately about 200lbs. I am of modest athletic ability. I love the water, paddling, fishing, and also powerboats. I live on a bayou off the Mississippi Sound so I get to paddle 2-3 times a week in the summer and 1-2 times a week in the winter. Not necessarily because it is cold in the winter but because the days are shorter. My kayak is scarred and scratched up but still going strong. I have paddled marsh, bays, swamps, creeks, rivers, lakes, ponds, ditches, and the open MS Sound here in my area.

Stability of the Wavewalk 500 is amazing (and yes stability is important for people that value safety and security and have bills to pay). It is a true catamaran with two full length hulls, that you stand in or sit between, and a center seat or “saddle” about 6ft long (sort of like a jetski seat). My favorite paddling position is standing. I can standup paddle easily for up to about an hour. A favorite is paddling standing up in 2-3 ft waves/rollers just for fun. Get tired or too rough then just sit down. Needless to say, with this stability fishing is easy standing or sitting. Get really tired, make a pillow from a towel and stretch out for a nap (in the kayak). When paddling standing it also easier to sight fish and navigate our marsh grass here in MS. I only paddle sitting to increase speed or due to needing to change posture. No worries either with submerged stumps or logs that used to scare me in a canoe. Just straddle them or shift your weight around until you get over them. It’s like four wheel drive.

The seat/saddle is well above the water. I never wear swim clothes unless I want to swim. No wet feet and no wet butt. Launch without stepping in the water or mud. I can easily “seal launch” straight off the bank if the situation allows. The seat is very comfortable due to being able to change your position very easily. My limit on being on the water is how long do I want to paddle, not how does my back feel or am I tired of being wet. Four to six hours would be no problem with enough food and water. I also like being up out of the water due to presence of gators in areas I paddle. I want that extra distance and separation, and not having my elbows/hands so close to the water!

It is very easy to maneuver. Need to turn short? sit toward the back of the saddle so that the front tips of the hull are out of the water and it turns on a dime. Want to track? Sit toward the middle and it goes straight and cuts into wind or current without a separate rudder. In a tight spot? Turn your body on the saddle 180 degrees and paddle it out “backwards” (it doesn’t have a true stern or bow). It paddles very efficiently in my opinion with good carry/momentum from each stroke. I am not a racer mind you but I have also not had that “barge” feeling.

The kayak is super easy to rig, easy to carry, easy to transport. I can carry a lot more stuff than I need, and I usually do.

That’s enough … sorry for going on but it is the best recreation and exercise dollar I have spent in a long time. I don’t have anything negative to say about any other machine because I have not used them! Just know what has worked for me.

 

Click images to enlarge

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

Kayak fishing with disabilities

Featured image: Pat Irwin, a kayaker with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) paddling his Wavewalk 500 in Alaska. The small W500 has been replaced by the bigger and much more stable W720 and S4.

If you looked at ads run by certain fishing kayak manufacturers, you might get the impression that typical kayak anglers are twenty-something athletes with six-pack abs and toilet-bowl white smiles, who can easily fish standing on the hyper-accessorized decks of their SOT kayaks, or pedal those things while operating a rudder in one hand and a fishing pole in the other…
But ads in glossy magazines and carefully crafted YouTube videos are not necessarily good sources of real-world information.

In reality, while some young people fish from kayaks, the typical kayak angler is middle aged or elderly, and often suffers from physical issues and sometimes even  disabilities. The most common problems are excessive weight and height, which limit the angler’s ability to balance and operate their kayak. Equally common are back pain and sensitivity, which limit the angler’s ability to carry the kayak, paddle it, sit comfortably in it, and stay in it for the long periods of time normally required by fishing trips.

Our website features countless accounts and articles related to back pain, leg numbness and other common problems, as well as numerous accounts by clients who suffer from more severe physical impairments and disabilities.
This article will attempt to summarize what we know about the more severe conditions in relation to operating kayaks and fishing from them –

Consulting with your expert physician on these matters is highly recommended, of course. The fact a person suffers from a condition listed here does not automatically mean the W kayak is good for them. There may be cases that would prevent you  from enjoying our W kayak, and even cases where using it might altogether be unrecommended to you, for various reasons. We welcome your questions even if you have a slight doubt. In some cases we could offer you to contact clients who suffer from a condition similar to yours, so you could ask them about their personal experience.

Fibromyalgia syndrome – a rheumatoid disorder characterized by chronic pain in the muscles and soft tissues surrounding joints, fatigue, and tenderness at specific sites in the body. This condition makes it practically impossible to sit in the L position, which all kayaks require, except the W kayak.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) – a chronic degenerative disease of the central nervous system interfering with the nerve pathways and causing mild to severe neural and muscular impairments, loss of coordination, and speech and visual disturbances. This severe condition often leads to balance problems as well, and therefore difficulties in operating kayaks and fishing from them.  We have clients with MS who enjoy riding the saddle of their W kayak while they paddle it and fish from it, and they prefer to use outriggers, for extra safety.

Arthritis – inflammation of a joint or joints caused by gout, rheumatic fever, etc. and characterized by pain and stiffness of the affected parts.  Numerous arthritic people enjoy paddling W kayaks and fish from them. The extra comfort and dryness offered by our kayak design make it easier for them in every way.

Sciatica – a painful condition in the region of the thighs and hips, usually caused by a herniated disk of the lumbar region of the spine (lower back). Many people who suffer from Sciatica paddle and motorize W kayaks for long hours. They enjoy the comfort of the W saddle, the ability to switch between multiple positions anytime they want, the ease of  standing up anytime and for as long as they want, and the ability to stretch their back and limbs lying down on the saddle.  Our fishing kayak has many fans among people who suffer from Sciatica.

Spinal fusion – a surgical procedure that corrects an unstable part of the spine by joining two or more vertebrae. Forget about traditional kayaking if you’ve had spinal fusion surgery, unless you have a W kayak. We have more than one client who use their W kayak for long touring and fishing expeditions, and praise the comfort it provides despite their extreme back sensitivity.

Herniated disk (a.k.a slipped disk) – abnormal, painful protrusion of a disk between spinal vertebrae which occurs most often in the lumbar region (lower back).  No way for you to paddle a regular kayak if you suffer from this painful condition, but the W kayak may be a solution for you, judging by what people who suffer from this condition and enjoy using their W kayaks have to tell.

Knee replacement – a surgical procedure to replace the weight-bearing surfaces of the knee joint with metal and plastic components to relieve the pain and disability of osteoarthritis. People who suffer from serious knee problems find it hard to get into a sit-in kayak, as well as get out of it. Similarly, sit-on-top kayaks are not friendly either for such people, not just because of entry and exit issues, but also because of the need to sit in the infamous L position for a long time. In contrast, we have numerous clients with serious knee problems who praise their W kayaks as being the only ergonomic solution for them.

Hip replacement – a surgical procedure in which the hip joint is replaced by a prosthetic implant. This condition rules out spending time in the L kayaking position, for obvious reasons. The alternative can be to paddle or motorize a W kayak, as some people who have had their hip replaced indeed do.

Balance disorder – a disturbance that causes an individual to feel unsteady, as a result of a dysfunction of one or more of the body systems working together to provide balance: The eyes (visual system), ears (vestibular system), the body’s sense of where it is in space (proprioception), and the brain, which compiles this sensory information. Many people who want to spend time paddling and fishing although they suffer from various balance disorders, find the W kayak to provide an adequate solution. The enhanced physical stability of the W kayak design, combined with the ability the users are offered to balance the craft with their legs while riding a high saddle, make the W kayak the only serious solution for them.

Low back pain (lumbago) is a common musculoskeletal disorder affecting 80% of people at some point in their lives. Over 99% of low back pain instances stem from benign musculoskeletal problems, and are referred to as non-specific low back pain; this type may be due to muscle or soft tissues sprain or strain, particularly in instances where pain arose during physical loading of the back, with the pain lateral to the spine. It would surely not come as a surprise to the reader to learn that a large proportion of our clients came to love their W kayak thanks to the fact that it offers them a back pain free ride like no other kayak can.

Degenerative disc disease (DDD) – Degeneration of the intervertebral discs of the spine is a condition that can be painful and can greatly affect the quality of one’s life. While disc degeneration is a normal part of aging and for most people is not a problem, for certain individuals a degenerated disc can cause severe constant chronic pain. Even people who suffer from DDD can enjoy paddling a W kayak and fishing out of it, as our website’s customer reviews section can tell.

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What’s the best fishing kayak? Why I became a Wavewalk kayak owner

By Michael Chesloff, Upstate NY

I became a Wavewalk owner because I wanted a solution to my fishing dilemma. Maybe if you know a little more about my journey you will find something that will prove useful in deciding on your next watercraft.
Here’s my story.

After buying 7 boats, I knew what didn’t work. These 7 boats were, in order of ownership:

1) Jon boat – simple 10 footer with electric trolling motor and a paddle
2) Inflatable – Fairly heavy duty with removable wooden floor, outboard electric trolling motor and oars
3) Bass boat – 16 footer with full flat deck, gas outboard and bow-mounted electric trolling motor
4) Folding boat with electric trolling motor and oars
5) Ultra-light sit-in kayak with paddle
6) Fiberglass skiff – 14 footer with gas outboard, bow-mounted electric trolling motor and oars
7) Square-ended, 12 foot aluminum canoe with bow-mounted electric trolling motor, gas outboard motor and oars

As you can see, I have had almost every kind of freshwater boat, driven by almost every mode of propulsion. They also covered almost every means of transportation; car-topping, towing and stuffing the boat in the trunk of a car. Capacity ranged from 1 person up to 4 and each had its pluses and minuses. So what was missing? This past winter I decided to make an exhaustive list of my requirements and see where it led me. Here is that list:

1) The boat must be easy to car-top – so many lakes and streams forbid boats on trailers.
2) The boat must be easy to row or paddle – many lakes do not permit motors of any kind and I have experienced the misery of being far from the dock with a dead motor/battery.
3) The boat must be capable of taking an electric motor – I did not want to paddle if I didn’t have to.
4) The boat must be capable of taking a gas motor – I fish some large lakes and 3 mph was just not going to cut it.
5) The boat must have room for my gear – Can’t fish without multiple rods, rod holders, tackle boxes, net, anchor, sonar, toolkit, throwable cushion, thermos, etc. and of course, lunch.
6) The boat must allow me to stand up to cast, sight-fish and stretch – I couldn’t last 2 hours in the kayak before my back started to ache and my legs would to go numb.
7) The boat must be stable – the kayak and the Jon boat provided some unwanted excitement by nearly capsizing.
8) The boat must be able to go in shallow water and through weeds – that’s where the bass are most of the time.
9) The boat must keep me and my stuff dry – can’t fish with a wet butt and I did not want to have to put waders on every time I got in and out.
10) The boat must be quick to launch – I can’t spend 20 minutes setting up and taking down every time I want to fish… fishing time is too precious.

So there I was in the dead of winter with my requirements and the Internet. I researched every brand of boat under every category I could think of; dinghy, Jon boat, skiff, catamaran, pontoon, tender, punt, car-topper, canoe, drift boat, etc. Why, I even tried “kayak”!

After many months I had narrowed it down to just a few possibilities. One boat looked so interesting I was even willing to consider going back to using a trailer.

By spring I had exhausted my ability to absorb any more information from the Web. I managed to test drive a boat because the maker had a customer in the area who was willing to help. He lives on a small lake only 30 minutes away and so, with great anticipation, we set a date. It was a dud. Not only did it require a trailer (though you do not have to put the trailer itself in the water), but it was, as the owner himself described it, a “barge”. Slow and cumbersome. Well okay. AT LEAST I KNEW FOR SURE BEFORE IT BECAME BOAT NUMBER 8!

Now I can launch anywhere and within 5 minutes of arriving at the water’s edge I am out fishing from my Wavewalk.

So consider my story, then consider a Wavewalk. Google your way to being an informed buyer. Spend some time on YouTube. Don’t buy 8 boats… get a Wavewalk and be happy.

Michael Chesloff

Hillsdale, NY

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