Fishing Kayak Outfitted For Oceanographic Research

Here are some more pics of my Wavewalk kayak, and a blog from the project http://blog.iod.ucsd.edu/RIVET/

We keep talking about turning the wave walker into a robot..autonomous surface vehicle..so I don’t have to drive!…haven’t done it yet but will let you know when we do. We have lots of robotic underwater vehicles here so on the surface is easy.

-Peter

Note this kayak is outfitted with two motor mounts – The one in the front serves for mounting scientific gear

Wide wheel cart for transporting the heavily loaded kayak over long distances on sandy beaches

Kayak Stability and Fishing Standing

A kayak's stability is key, especially if you want to fish standing in it in full confidence.
Many kayak manufacturers claim they designed their kayaks for stand up fishing, but other than pictures in glossy magazines and videos showing young and athletic fishermen who stand on their kayaks and fish in mirror flat water, how practical are these products for average anglers in everyday fishing trips? How well do those kayak perform in real world conditions?
Can a middle aged or elderly fisherman feel at ease getting up and standing on a SOT kayak, and could they ever feel confident fishing from it?
There is more to standing up and fishing from a kayak than just that - You need to do it comfortably and safely, have a plan B in case you lose balance, and be able to focus on what you're doing i.e. casting, reeling, and landing the fish, and not on maintaining your balance through constant micro-adjustments.
If you want to understand the physical and ergonomic principles that affect a kayak's performance in terms of stand up fishing, read about it in the article entitled Paddle and Fish Standing

More about kayak stability »