On 15-Jun-2005, "BCITORGB" wrote:

Over the course of a few years of renting kayaks, I have always been
instructed that the best way to enter and launch is by way using my
paddle as an outrigger, across the back of the cockpit. I've accepted
this as gospel. Now I've come across a very informative website that
takes a contrary view.

If you have a keyhole cockpit, then by all means, sit in it with
your butt first and then pull your legs in. Do not use your paddle
to get in.

However, if you have an ocean cockpit or your legs are too long
to allow you to enter butt first, then use your paddle to brace.
Do not sit on the paddle shaft, though. Some folks will sit on
the paddle shaft, swing their legs in and then swing their butt
in. This puts a lot of unnecessary stress on the paddle. Instead,
straddle the kayak (one foot on either side) and sit on the rear
deck behind the cockpit with the paddle out to one side. Then
get your feet inside while balancing with your body and follow
this by sliding your butt into the kayak.

If you are in the water when you do this, you don't need to brace
the paddle on a solid object. Just let the outboard blade of the
paddle stabilize the kayak by water resistance and use your balance
to keep on an even keel while you get in. This is easier to do
with an unfeathered paddle, since it's easier to keep the outboard
blade flat and _just_below_the_surface_ of the water if the inboard
blade is flat on the kayak deck. This is a _lot_ easier than trying
to get in while sculling (as the web site suggests) and puts no
significant stress on the paddle - certainly no more stress than
ordinary forward strokes.

With practice, you can get into a kayak in deep water doing this
without a paddle float. However, you won't succeed often in deep
water unless the water is fairly calm.

Mike