Maybe that depends on whether you mostly paddle flat water. My kayak always
followed me faithfully slithering along the ground across farmer's fields or
climbing cliffs to get out of unexpectedly high water in narrow canyons.
Also there's hardly anything more fun than water reentry sliding off a high
rock. Once my kayak and I with friends slid through the snow down the face
of a large earthen dam before an unusual CA winter trip. Paddling in snow is
best left to easterners desperate for a winter trip. In CA and OR we paddle
"warm" coastal rivers in the winter. That is NO ice there. Just high,
somewhat cooler, water.

John Adams

"William R. Watt" wrote in message
...
for a wet entry I don't think anything beats sand.
for a dry entry I'd go with a floating dock with little clearance,
you should be able to slide your hips out of the boat onto the dock.

ideally a boat should never contact anything but water. the proper way to
enter a canoe or kayak is with the boat afloat parallel to the shore. you
need enough depth of water at the shorline to do it. that requires a
steeper gradient than has been suggested in other responses posted here.

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