While fishing kayaks haven’t changed in any noteworthy way in the past 30 years, the W introduced real  solutions to all the problems plaguing kayak fishing, including back pain and poor ergonomics in general, no adequate storage, lack of dependable stability, wetness, very poor tracking – especially in adverse weather conditions, low performance in shallow water (especially pedal driven kayaks), and more…

Gary Thorberg and the MinnYaks team will exhibit the W500, known among people who fish out of it and some who wished they would as the world’s best fishing kayak, at the Annual Northwest Sportshow in Minneapolis, MN, from March 28 till April 1st.

Last fall, Gary, a avid kayak angler and W fishing kayaks dealer in Minnesota, made a significant contribution to the development of the motorized W fishing kayak. He’s an expert both in outboard gas engines and electric trolling motors.

This will be the first time the W500 fishing kayak is exhibited in a show.
Gary expects visitors from the Midwest, Northwest and Canada to come to the show especially to see the W500.

Currently, three manufacturers offer pedal drives for fishing kayaks.
Two of these devices feature rotary paddles and propellers, which makes more sense than the third one that features push pedals and wings flapping from side to side as a propeller.
In any case, pedal drives do not provide a suitable answer for touring and fishing kayaks, since operating involves a variety of problems starting from reduced stability and control over the kayak, reduced maneuverability and the loss of the ability to travel in shallow water, to more important, ergonomic problems that include increased discomfort and back pain.
More about pedal drives for fishing kayaks

So far, no one has ever seen a reason to outfit their W kayak with a pedal drive, for pretty obvious reasons. However, should anyone be interested to tinker with such project, the following pedal drive setup seems applicable to W kayaks,

More ideas, information and opinions about this pedal drive setup can be found in the comments section of the article about pedal drives recommended in the previous paragraph.

Here is another direction that seems applicable to W kayaks:

It seems like there used to be such a commercial product on the market several years ago, but we were unable to trace it. More information about it would be appreciated.
This particular setup is based on a crank shaft being used for pedaling and activating both paddle wheels at the same time. Therefore, the operator has to steer by means of a hand activated rudder (or paddle), which is a problem similar to the one facing kayak anglers attempting to operate a commercial fishing kayak pedal drive of the above mentioned types.
The rotation of the paddle wheels on the boat’s sides somehow compensates the operator for the initial loss of stability resulting from raising their feet in the air. In this regard, this seemingly clumsy setup is not as bad as the pedal drives featuring in fishing kayaks.
As far as shallow water mobility is concerned , this setup seems to be less inadequate than the above mentioned kayak pedal drives, and it looks like removing entangled seaweed from its blades is not complicated as it is with those kayak pedal drives.
Obviously, the paddle wheels add unwanted weight to the boat, and the recumbent position is not ideal for pedaling, as explained in the article mentioned in the first section.
In Fishability terms, the paddle wheels are similar to outriggers, in the sense that they can easily snag your fishing lines.

Having said that, if the reader feels like trying to implement such concept in their canoe, kayak or W kayak, they may want to consider separating the rotation of the two paddle wheels, namely have each leg rotate the paddle wheel on its own side – independently from what the other leg is doing. Such version would solve the steering problem created by relying on one’s legs for propulsion rather than on a paddle, eliminate the need to operate a unwanted rudder, and add both to the tracking and steering capabilities of the boat.

The W kayak naturally lends itself to rowing, due to its unrivaled stability, and its high saddle that allows for the effective use of the passengers’ legs.

Paddle / Rowing Oars System For Quick Kayak Position Adjustments For Fishing Fast Species, By Brandon Cutter

Here is an example of a rowing setup for a W300 kayak used for offshore fishing in Cape Cod, Massachusetts: The oars are made from a two-piece, extra long, double-blade canoe paddle. When the angler wants to paddle, all he has to do is assemble the paddle. Town people can paddle this kayak using the two pieces of this paddle separately, as single-blade (canoe) paddles.  More about this fishing kayak rowing system >>

Rowing Oars For W Fishing Kayak, by Jim Luckett, SailBoatsToGo

Jim Luckett is a professional designer who offers an out of the box rowing oars kit for the W500 fishing kayak.
Jim’s product is lightweight, efficient, and easy to install. More about this W fishing kayak rowing oars setup >>

W500 Fishing Kayak Rigged With Rowing Oars, by Dave Baumbaugh, Pennsylvania

Dave Baumbaugh tried paddling his W500, and even stood up and paddled, but he also a set of oar locks on it, and was amazed by how fast and effortless rowing it was:

More about Dave’s fishing kayak with rowing oars >>

Bass Fishing Kayak With Rowing Oars and Outriggers, by Wayne Taylor, Florida

Due to his advanced age and balance impairment, Wayne needed a fishing platform that’s both extremely stable as well as comfortable. Back in 2006, when he purchased his W300, the W500 series wasn’t available, which is why Wayne added a pair of DIY outriggers to his kayak. Here is a movie showing Wayne’s rowing fishing kayak in action:

Interestingly, Wayne uses the oars to row ‘forward’ -

More about this fishing kayak with rowing oars >>

Rudders have become a necessity in modern SOT, sit-in, and hybrid fishing kayaks, simply because most of these kayaks have become so wide and hard to paddle (I.E. ‘barges’) that they lost the ability to track properly, which is and essential requirement from any boat.

Kayak manufacturers have constantly increased the width of the fishing kayaks they offer, as a response to the demand for more stability. But this change comes at a price of a decrease in speed, control, and tracking capability that’s often coupled with lackluster performance in maneuverability.

In comparison, no W-kayak paddler or angler has ever felt the need for a rudder for paddling. This is a particularly interesting fact, considering the W-kayak is shorter than most kayaks out there, and considering the fact it’s used for a multitude of applications in a wide range of aquatic environments, including long trips in the ocean, big lakes and wide rivers, where a kayak is required to perform well in tracking terms.

What’s wrong with rudders?

Well, to begin with, they cost extra money, and better rudders are very expensive.

More importantly, they slow down your kayak by 10% in average, according to serious speed research performed on kayaks in tow-tanks.

And most importantly, rudders are  often cumbersome and difficult to handle. Handling them requires your attention and the use of one of your hands, or of both your feet, and that’s when there are other things you’d like to do when you’re in your kayak, such as paddling or fishing, rather than steering.

On top of these issues, and that’s really too bad for paddlers and fishermen who go in shallow water, rudders tend to get stuck in the bottom, bump into rocks or branches down there, and get entangled in sea weed, so they limit your range of paddling and fishing in areas that are considered promising for both these activities.

Besides, like any mechanical device, rudder systems can break, and their cables can get jammed or torn.  If such a problem occurs, it can become anywhere between unpleasant and hazardous, especially if you find yourself far from shore, and if weather is getting nasty, the wind is picking up, it’s getting dark, the tide is getting strong etc.  -Sounds too scary? Remember rule number one in kayaking is ‘Stuff Happens’… and it can happen to you!

In sum, rudders are yet another necessary evil imposed on the sit-in, hybrid and SOT kayak anglers, while W-kayakers and kayak anglers should be thankful they need neither purchase nor use such awkward devices.

More about kayak speed >>

The motor’s location can affect safety, stability, speed, steering, tracking, entry and exit, reentering, as well as fishability, since the location of the motor and steering handle could limit your range of motion when casting baits and lures, reeling in the fish, and landing them. This is why you’d better study whatever information is available on these subjects, and see what configuration best fits your personal transportation and fishing requirements.

Front Motor and Steering

Having the motor in the front can produce a fun, ‘scooter’ feel, as you can see in this video of Dan Carroll’s motorized W300 – one of the first projects in this field:

More info about this W300 kayak outfitted with with an electric trolling motor >>

Having the electric motor in the front can produce a ‘chopper’ motorcycle effect as well, as Richard Dion’s motorized W500 has:

This ‘road bike’ look and feel is partly due to the lowered seat and generous cushioning.
See more about this motorized offshore fishing kayak >>

It’s possible to install the motor in the front and steer by means other than a handle.
In any case, attaching the motor in the front of the kayak can create a safety issue when navigating in shallow water, as the motor won’t bounce up if it hits bottom, or a submerged obstacle. In such case, the motor could be damaged, as well as its mount, and even the kayak itself.
As far as steering is concerned, the driver being located away from the motor limits their effective range of turning. This is not necessarily a problem, unless you want to make sharp turns, or in case you need to navigate through fasts streams and turbulent waters.

More info about motorizing your fishing kayak >>