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So, what, exactly, is a Water Walker?The Water Walker is a lightweight floating platform designed to provide stability and support when you are walking through shallow water with uncertain footing. By grasping its handles as you are positioned in the open part of the Water Walker's "U" shape, you gain stability and can transfer much, if not all, of your weight to your arms, shoulders and the Water Walker. This means you can walk lightly on a mucky bottom without sinking in to your knees. It means that you can avoid tripping over fallen, submerged timber. It also means that you can continue to hunt, even if your legs, knees or hips are injured or otherwise impaired. Place your gun, gear, dog or young hunter on the front and navigate hands free. With the addition of a seat, the Water Walker also becomes a personal raft that can be used as a one-person fishing platform, a diving platform, a super deluxe river raft or whatever your imagination can think up! What are the dimensions?The Water Walker is 42" wide by 66" long and the base is 7" high with removable handles and gun rack projecting up another 7". It takes 360 pounds to totally submerge and only weighs 35 pounds. It's easy to pick up and carry on your shoulder and fits with room to spare between vehicle wheelwells. |
Satisfying My Need To HuntI’m an avid outdoorsman, I can’t get enough of it, so much so that I can honestly say I am addicted to outdoor hunting sports and feel like I’ve never wasted a dime of money or a minute of time on them. If I’m not hunting or fishing my thoughts are, “ I wish I was out there in God’s wonderful creation marveling at everything in it.” That's the reason I invented the Water Walker. I'd hurt my knee and surgery was unavoidable. I knew if my knee was hurting me on solid ground, it was going to be excruciating trying to pull my leg out the mud with every step while I was hunting, but I didn’t want to miss a day of my hunting season. My problem made me think of all of the ex-hunters out there who had been forced to stop simply because it hurt too much. It occurred to me that, much as a walker helps people with problems walk on solid ground, a similar approach might be useful inthwater.If you could transfer some of your weight to your upper body and use it to improve balance as you walked, it just might be a solution The Water Walker I designed does just that. The buoyancy allows the user to use their arms to reduce the weight on their feet while providing a stable platform that prevents falls Even with my bum knee, I found that the Water Walker kept me from sinking into the mud and weeds. I could avoid "holes" and deadfalls, allowing me to set decoys in the dark early hours of the morning and navigate all the spots I wanted to with ease. A few months after the surgery my knee was completely healed and I was able to do whatever I wanted but you know what I discovered? The Water Walker made hunting so much easier to walk through marshes with confidence, carry my equipment, load and unload in easily myself in my truck, that I could never be without it again. That's why I decided to start making them for others. If it helps someone to be able to have the same confidence and excitement about being to hunt in areas they may have given up on, I will be thrilled. Others including trappers, rescue personnel, handicapped folks may also experience the ability to get out and enjoy the hobbies and sports they love. |
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What is the WaterWalker Good For?
The Water Walker is lightweight and flexible. That means it can be used for almost any activity that puts you on the water or in a marshy area. Here a a few of the activities users have shared with us.
Haul, Set, & Recover Decoys FasterIn addition to providing stability and better footing, the Water Walker makes it very easy to haul decoys wherever they need to be. You avoid fumbling with awkward loose decoys and gear, because it all piles neatly on the deck of the Water Walker. Maneuvering is easy, allowing you to set the pattern you want fast. You get the preliminaries out of the way and get down to the hunt in record time! |
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Clean Duck Boxes, Haul Gear and More!Not a hunting day? Well, the Water Walker is just like having your own swamp truck every day of the year. If it involves putting on waders, the Water Walker makes it easier! It puts all the tools and containers you need within easy reach and allows you to be thorough as you make short work of the messiest task. |
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Ready to Hunt? It's a Blind!The Water Walker isn't all work and no play. When the gear's hauled and the decoys are placed, the addition of blind material makes Water Walker the perfect duck blind! You and your best hunting buddy have a dry place to sit comfortably while waiting for the perfect shot. You've even got room for a cooler and some snacks, if you're so inclined. |
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Fishing
Water Walker is perfect for fishing!You know that perfect fishing hole? The one with no boat ramp, lots of cover and almost no fishing pressure? The Water Walker makes it easy to get right to it. The entire Water Walker is lightweight and easily balanced for nearly effortless carrying right to the water's edge. Once you're in the water, you can sit comfortably and put your feet up by inserting boards across the opening. Or, for even greater comfort, the Water Walker can be fitted with a molded bucket seat. There's plenty of room for your cooler and tackle box, too. |
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Lake, Pond or Stream, It's the Perfect Float BoatNot a hunting day? Well, the Water Walker is perfect for fishing those hard-to-reach areas! It's easy to carry, easy to board and a stable platform for landing the big ones. |
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Trapping
Tending Traplines Just Got Faster, Easier and Safer.
Trapping certainly has its rewards, but slogging through thick, spongy swamp is not one of the more appealing. Checking a trapline is, at best, tedious and, at its worst, pretty darned dangerous. The Water Walker takes a lot of the work out of the task by making it easier to walk, but that's just where the good stuff starts!
The Water Walker provides a steady working surface above the water line, making it far easier to make any needed adjustments or repairs. Molded insets accommodate things like a tackle or tool box, buckets and anything else that might weigh you down as you make your way. You can even tow a molded tub or small boat behind, if there's going to be a lot to carry!
When it comes to overall stability, the Water Walker's high buoyancy and integrated handles let you transfer as much of your weight as is needed to your arms and shoulders as you walk. That means you can avoid sinking into the much and, when you come across tangled roots or a downed tree branch, you're less likely to trip.
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Surveying
Water Walker Makes Surveys, Research and Resource Management Easier!
There's nothing easy about working in hip-deep water all day. Add a slippery bottom and brisk current and the simplest task can become a major chore. Water Walker makes things a lot easier.
Water Walker improves your stability in a swift current or when the footing is less than secure. It allows you to transfer some of your weight to your arms and shoulders, much like a regular walker might on dry land. But that's only one of the benefits Water Walker users will realize.
The Water Walker is sufficiently buoyant to serve as a personal flotation device. Bridge the opening in the "U" shape with a short board and you have a comfortable seat out of the water. Water Walker also features several molded-in features that make it easy to carry an array of gear, a paddle, a bin, a bucket...anything you might need, but would rather not have to carry!
Check out the pictures below from a recent Iowa DNR river survey and you'll see just how handy the Water Walker can be.
Photography
The best photos are taken up close and Water Walker gets you there.
To get the best shots, you've got to get in where the wildlife lives. To get great shots of waterfowl and wildlife that live in the swamp takes a lot of work. Water Walker makes things a lot easier. It makes it easier to walk through uncertain terrain by providing an anchor point with hand-holds that make it easy to adjust your center of gravity and keep your balance. Water Walker also lends a hand when it comes to carrying your equipment by providing places to secure bins or buckets to keep things high and dry. Once you're in place, it also provides a useful working platform as well as a place to sit far more comfortably than any alternative.
Exploring
Water Walker makes it easy to explore.Everyone knows that the most interesting places are those few people can explore. Places far off the beaten path, usually with a fair number of obstacles to keep folks like you out. If the obstacles are wet, marshy lands, Water Walker is your ticket to discovery. Water Walker makes a walk through the swamp like a walk through the park. Heck, it will even help out by carrying a few things! Whether you're working to be a good steward of the land you manage or simply want to see what's out there, Water Walker makes a hard trek easy! |
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