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Get in and out of
your kayak with grace and safety.
Before you are all
the way in or out of a kayak, there is that time
when most of you are well up above the kayak. In
this position, kayaks have very little
stability. Use your paddle to stabilize your
kayak while you perform this maneuver. You will
encounter many different situations where you
need to get in and out of your kayak. We will
cover some of them here.
The most common
condition is a launch or exit at a beach or ramp
where the water shoals slowly and you can stand
easily on the bottom with the kayak floating in
about one foot or less of water. Some of the
kayak may even be resting on the bottom, either
the bow or stern. The key to a stable boat is to
use the paddle as a support to prevent the kayak
from capsizing while you get into the kayak.
Start by placing
one end of the paddle across the deck of the
kayak just aft of the cockpit. Stand in the
right angle formed by the boat and the paddle.
Rotate the paddle so that the extended blade can
lay flat on the shore or the bottom. This may
require extending the other blade just past the
deck on the opposite side of the kayak if your
paddle is feathered. Now, face forward, bend at
the knees and grab the paddle with the thumbs
facing backward and the fingers of the hand
curling around the back of the cockpit. This
will hold the paddle firmly to the kayak as you
get in and provide support for the kayak from
rolling over. If you must sit on something, make
sure you put at least part of your butt onto the
deck of the kayak. Never just sit on the paddle
shaft. That is a sure invitation to disaster
some day, either for you or for your paddle.
With the paddle
bracing between the kayak and the bottom or
shore, lift the leg closest to the kayak and
place it into the kayak. Keep the majority of
your weight on the extended paddle side of the
kayak. The tighter a grip you keep on the paddle
and cockpit, the more sure the brace will be.
Lower yourself into the cockpit by straightening
the leg already in the cockpit. Slide your butt
off the back deck and into the cockpit. If you
have a large cockpit and can get your legs in
and out when you are seated, let you butt drop
into the bottom of the cockpit. The stability of
the kayak will be much better if you can. Lift
your other leg over the cockpit edge and place
it into the cockpit. Get your paddle out from
behind you and you are ready to seal the cockpit
with your spray skirt.
If you can not
get your legs in one at a time while seated in
the cockpit, you must place the second leg into
the cockpit before the butt drops down into the
seat. This will place more reliance on the
support of your paddle while you make this final
move. Start with the inside leg in the cockpit.
Sit on the back edge of the cockpit Swing the
other leg into the cockpit, leaning some of your
weight onto the hand holding the paddle on the
extended side. Straighten both legs and get your
butt into the bottom of the cockpit as quickly
as possible. Bring the paddle around to the
front and fasten your skirt.
To exit the
kayak, do everything in reverse.
Note: Paddles are not iron bars and can
not take the full weight of a body pressed down
on them while bridging across the boat to the
shore. The lighter the paddle the more careful
you must be in using the paddle as a brace when
entering and exiting.
>> More Kayaking
tips
•
Types of kayak: Sit-on-top
kayak, Inflatable
kayak, Folding
kayak, Solo
Versus Tandem kayak
•
Kayaking in Vietnam
• How
to get in and out of your kayak
•
How to make your kayak go
•
How to make your kayak stop
•
How to make your kayak turn
•
How to keep your kayak from capsizing
•
What to do after a capsize - wet exiting
•
Basic paddle and arm signals for sea kayakers
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