Mike,

Considering that I am presenting to a novice, I stand by what I wrote. After
experience, I learned that I could enter the kayak just fine without the
brace, though in rough conditions, I still use it. I've come back to it more
as the knee is deteriorating more rapidly than the rest of my body (sigh)
and balance is thrown off when you have to compensate for such things. If
you can find a rock or structure onto which to place the paddle, the risk of
damage to the paddle is lower. The higher position is quite a bit more
stable and even a few inches can make a lot of difference.

I have, I imagine, a tough old paddle. I purchased it with my original sea
lion about 12 years ago. Despite the abuses it's taken, I'm not certain how
or when it will break, but it's held up this long. It probably weighs too
much, it definitely has too much blade surface, but it works and I'm cheap
and don't spend money until I have to.

Not a bad $150, come to think of it, though.

Rick

"Michael Daly" wrote in message
...
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.

I have an ocean cockpit, so I can't do this. I use the paddle to brace,
but it isn't touching the shore or bottom - it's floating just below the
surface. I use it to dampen the rolling of the kayak and use balance
to get in. This, BTW, is based on the way the Inuit in Greenland enter
their kayaks - no paddle damage. With practice, you can do this to
reenter the kayak in deep, calm water.

Mike