A fish tail propelled water vessel uses a pair of back and forth reciprocating pedals to rotate a flywheel back and forth, the paddle blade of the vessel attached to the flywheel so that the reciprocating flywheel swishes the blade through the water in side to side fashion thereby propelling the vessel. A cable attaches each pedal to its respective side of the flywheel in order to cause rotation of the flywheel. A pedal cable helps balance the pedals thereby assuring smooth pedaling of the device. Holding one of the pedals forward of the alignment point with the other pedal, holds the blade to that side, thereby steering the vessel to the opposing side.