Yes, flexibility. Also entering from a dock will take some practice
@Avi said:
Yes, flexibility. Also entering from a dock will take some practice
Entering from a dock is pretty easy if you follow this…
One comment on the above video about entering from a dock.Works great if you have the luxury of occupying a tie down area. You can hold onto it as well as tying something off, but I keep a short tow line on the front of my boats so that is always available.
However, between having to get in or out around other boats or using docks with poorly spaced devices, I am often dealing with a bare dock. For that, I get balanced on the back deck of the boat behind the cockpit from the dock, it is a shorter reach, then plop into the cockpit…
I think I’ll have to sign up to a yoga class and gain some abilities to plop in to the seat
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I can get in pretty well from a dock like the video—but the getting out at a dock has proven a bit difficult. I just now go with wet foot method to exit the kayak.
Yooper, the get onto the back deck thing actually is more helpful getting out than in. It puts you a foot or so closer to the height of the deck, which can be surprisingly helpful.
That said, hanging out on the back deck does take a little practice. I seemed to have lost some of my balance climbing around the deck this spring. So when I was in Maine I made sure to sit all over the boat, mess around with the cowboy and launched and landed sitting on the back deck. Had a little 18 inch wave action to mess with here and there.
Not surprisingly, I did a lot of swimming the first couple of days. But then I got my whatever back and it was easy. Going to take the skinnier boat out this week to a pond and spend some time with that. Hotter than heck anyway, so that is a good way to cool off.
Celia---- thanks. Too bad I hadn’t seen this video on Saturday as I wouldn’t have taken a bath with the cellphone. Old fliphone so not a great $$ loss. I was using it for the camera. Some nice shots on the Tahquamenon River that may/maynot be retrievable . Guess we’ll have to go back.
@kfbrady said:
Entering from a dock is pretty easy if you follow this…
No doubt a good method, but I wonder at the boat in the video. It’s an odd shape with more volume to either side than what I think normal. I’m not sure he’d have gotten away with everything demonstrated in a more typically shaped kayak.
@Avi said:
I think I’ll have to sign up to a yoga class and gain some abilities to plop in to the seat
Go for it, Avi. You can do it and you’ll be healthier for it. Don’t wait to sign up for a class; you can start gentle stretching in your own space, Lots of good info in the learning sections of Pcom. Here’s one:
https://paddling.com/learn/stretching-for-paddling-longevity/
On the video, the boat may be a wing boat hence the shape. A local has one and they are a fast hull. Just don’t know if they roll etc well, most people who get these boats are go-straight-fast paddlers.
In any case I have done what is pictured in a far skinnier sea kayak. So kfbrady’s video is right on.hen you have a tie down available. My comment was for when that is not the case, like when you are using a dock made of the floating plastic cube structures for sculls. We have a few around here, and those things do not have any hardware on them. Can be slippery too.
My wife and I have been using the method in this video for at least a couple of years with our Current Designs Visions. I will admit that my getting out of the boat is not quite as graceful as the guy in the video. Mine is more of a crawl/roll-up on to the dock as close to 70 I’m not as flexible as I once was but I can do it very reliably and fairly smoothly.
Just ordered the delta 12.10. This one seems to have several of the qualities pointed out here, ie, safe, cockpit allows control (i believe referred to as edeging), and light weight which i like. I think this boat will allow me to explore the sport and learn what i like and don’t like and take it from from there. Thanks for all the insight.
Congrats Avi!
Yes indeed, good choice!
Yay, Avi! Have wonderful adventures and learning experiences in your new boat! Hope you post your impressions and how things are going - there’s some fabulous mentors here always willing to help.
**> @Avi said:
Just ordered the delta 12.10. This one seems to have several of the qualities pointed out here, ie, safe, cockpit allows control (i believe referred to as edeging), and light weight which i like.** I think this boat will allow me to explore the sport and learn what i like and don’t like and take it from from there. Thanks for all the insight.
That’s what we ended up doing. Bought decent boats by Eddyline that fit what we thought we needed and that had some of the benefits that the experience peeps on here suggested. Having started with a decent boat should mean that beginner frustration/intimidation is lessened.
We don’t concern ourselves with the ABS construction and definitely prefer the lighter weight. Our favorite paddling spot, so far, is somewhat rocky for the launch area. No gouges, just a couple of skuff marks.
Have a lot of fun.
**