"Michael Daly" wrote in
:

On 1-May-2004, "Rick" wrote:

For most conditions, the following procedures
can be applied with only minor modifications.

Put the bow of the boat into the water with the rear still on shore.
1) Straddle the rear of the boat and sit on the back deck

After years of paddling, I've come to the conclusion that this paddle
bracing technique is a waste of time and leads to damage to the paddle
with no gain. If you've got a keyhole cockpit and no particular leg
problems, just straddle the kayak, drop your butt in and then lift your
legs in - cowboy entry. Unlike John, I consider _this_ to be the
better way.

Actually, that is how I usually enter my boats if I don't mind getting my
feet/legs wet. I also have an ocean cockpit in my Skerray. In fact, the
Skerray was my first kayak so I learned to enter/exit in a boat where it was
physically impossible to sit down in the seat before putting my legs in.