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Boat Entry / Exit
On 15-Oct-2003, (Carl Buehler) wrote:
But what about entry and exit in deeper water from a dock and lower landing.
If the dock is only up to about your armpit when sitting in the kayak, pull
alongside and put your arm on the dock. Lift yourself carefully up, balancing
with your arm, and get your backside onto the dock. The key is to keep as much
of your weight as possible on the dock and keep the weight in the kayak on the
centerline.
If it's higher than that, you do the same thing, it just gets a lot harder
if you can't get your arm on the top of the dock. I've entered a kayak from
a dock that was about five feet above the water once - water covered with
an inch of ice. It was tricky balancing - I held onto a piling for balance.
If there's a load of gear in the kayak, it will be more stable than if empty.
If there's more than one paddler, the first one in can hold the kayak for the
next.
Also loading and unloading gear from the kayak from the chickee platform?
If it's low, just tie the kayak alongside and reach down. Otherwise, consider
lifting the kayak onto the dock. Just grab the bow toggle and lift it up
to the platform. Sliding the hull on the edge of the platform may cause
damage. A wood platform shouldn't be a problem but concrete will scratch a
plastic kayak a bit and a composite, a lot. You can put a pad of some kind
on the edge - old piece of carpet, for example, if you're concerned.
Mike
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