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TRAVEL GEARS and ACCESSORIES
How
to get in and out of your kayak
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.
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Kayaking
in Vietnam
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