Kayak Surfing and Frisky Sea Kayaking

U.S. Pat #6871608

W Kayak Surfing and WaveWalking -
An Introduction to Frisky Sea Kayaking

NEW MOVIE: Walking On Waves (2 minutes)

-Click to play video
Wave walking and playing in the surf.

Board surfing, Kayak surfing and W Kayak surfing

Board surfing is a lot of fun and it's considered to be an extreme water sport since not too many people are capable of practicing it.
Traditional (sit-in) Kayak surfing is even more difficult and more extreme, and a traditional kayak surfer often has to protect his/her head with a helmet.
SOT kayak surfing offers limited fun but in order to achieve acceptable control over your boat you need to strap yourself to your kayak, which is dangerous.
W Kayak surfing combines some advantages of board surfing (i.e. the ability to stand) with advantages of traditional kayak surfing (i.e. a higher degree of mobility and the ability to surf in other positions). It also offers totally new experiences and ways to enjoy the surf as well as what's beyond it.
W Kayak surfing does not require that you be attached to your kayak in any way: No spray skirt or straps are required.
Since the W Kayak is stabler, faster and easier to paddle than other surfing kayaks it enables most people to enjoy the highest degree of mobility and have a lot of fun in the surf, including children and people with less than average athletic, paddling or surfing capabilities.
To the more athletic and skilled users the W kayak offers new possibilities for fun while roaming the surf zone, and a better use of their time since you don't necessarily need big, 'perfect' waves to get some good, real 'action'.

Surfing with a twinhull kayak?

What could be more natural? -The Polynesians, who invented the surfboard, also used twinhull boats (catamarans) for sailing and paddling.
Is it a coincidence? -Not when you live in islands scattered across the Pacific Ocean where big waves are part of your everyday life whether you're traveling, fishing or having fun.

How do you W kayak surf?

You surf either in the Riding or Standing position, and you can switch between them. For more information click: Paddling Positions
Obviously, surfing standing requires some real practicing while surfing in the Riding position is easy and almost intuitive.
Can you W Kayak surf in big waves? -
Yes but that depends on your personal skills, and you must make sure your W Kayak is outfitted with floatation in case you capsize, since this makes it easier to recover the boat.

How do you cope with side waves?

It's actually part of the fun of surfing with a W Kayak! You paddle in parallel to the beach and let the lateral waves roll under you: You lean into the incoming wave and once it passed under your boat you lean to the other side... Watch Movies.
Never surf alone or too far from shore and make sure the beach is safe for surfing - Practice in smaller waves before you tackle big ones.

What happens if you capsize?

If you bail out swiftly enough the boat is likely to stay right. In such case you can hop back in or crawl inside from the back. (Learn more in the User Manual section).
If your W Kayak it's overturned close to shore the easiest thing to do would be let the waves wash it to shore and drain it simply by overturning it out of the water. It takes little time to do, and you can be back paddling immediately after. If your W Kayak is overturned far from shore you can turn it back but when you do so one of the hulls scoops water and you'd want to pump or scoop it out (or at least part of it).
We recommend to outfit your boat with floatation for the surf.
Floatation reduces the volume of water that gets into the boat in such cases.
NEW: Side Floatation Kits for easy recovery, see: Product Info Page

Do you need a spray skirt?

With a W kayak spray isn't that much of a problem:
You are protected with a much higher freeboard than a kayak's, and when you launch or go back to sea you can "climb" even big waves by standing in the back of the cockpit or Riding there and leaning backward -This way you're lifting the bow in a steep angle and the wave normally passes under you.
When surfing you get relatively little water in, and it is drained to the bottom of the hulls where even if several gallons are accumulated they would be unlikely to be a noticeable problem.
'Apron': To increase dryness it's possible to cover the front part of the cockpit with a plastic sheet or some other watertight material attached with eye straps and cords or just duct tape. Since this is not really necessary you won't see photos or videos of such a solution on this website.

Is it hard to launch in the surf?

Much easier than launching an ordinary kayak, and even children find it easy and fun (Watch videos): You get the boat in the water and hop in. If the waves are keeping your boat parallel to the shoreline you ride in the front of the cockpit and lean into the turn so that the wave action will make your boat face the ocean. Then you paddle riding in the middle of the cockpit unless the incoming waves are big and you need to climb them by sitting in the back of the cockpit and lifting up the bow.

Can you roll a W Kayak?

You can't, but you don't need to since bailing out is easy and in most cases so is recovering the boat and getting back in.

What makes the W Kayak so easy to maneuver?

1. The W1 is just 10' 2" long (310 cm).
2. You can create a powerful rudder effect by leaning into the turn with nearly all your weight.
3. You can activate the boat from the front, middle or back of the cockpit according to your need.

Do you need a spray skirt, straps or bindings?

You don't. Such accessories that attach you to your boat and prevent you from bailing out on time are not required in a W kayak, and can be risky.

Safety: Watch for bathers and other surfers

When W surfing you may go overboard, especially when you learn the sport -
Before you catch a wave you need to check and make sure that in case this happens and your boat gets washed ashore it won't hit anybody.
Possible solution: Attach the middle of your paddle to an eyelet inside your boat (there is one in the front of the cockpit and one in the back) with a long bungee leash, and don't let go of it if and when you're in the water. This will help you stop the boat from hitting people in the surf zone.

Please be courteous

Good surfing beaches are sometime crowded. Board surfers have neither boat nor paddle, so they are both less protected and less mobile than you. A collision between you and a surfer may be harmless to you but it could be painful to the surfer -
Always leave surfers enough space for surfing and maneuvering, even it means you're losing a big wave - there will be others...
If you cross paths with surfers let them pass before you.
When launching make sure no surfer is being thrown against your boat by an incoming wave.

Always wear a PFD when using the W Kayak!

Kayak Surfing - Past, Present and Future