A chunk of that ugly flat weave polyester indoor/outdoor carpet (that people put on their porches) would provide a good running surface. You can usually buy that by the foot off 12’ wide rolls at big box building material stores. An 18" by 12 foot long strip of it from Lowe’s would only be under $10 and weigh under 2 pounds. Could probably roll it up and stuff it in a hatch. I’ve used a big scrap of it for years to lay in the yard to assemble my folding kayaks on.
I do see a drawback to the carpet suggestion. Transport of invasive species like “rock snot”. Felt-soled wader boots have been banned in many waterways for that reason. Lord knows what sort of muck would populate a sodden scrap of carpeting used as a launch ramp.
Probably better to stick with a plastic runner of some kind.
You mentioned lightness (as a 69 year old female paddler that is a primary concern of mine too.) The two best option for that are folding kayaks and rigid skin on frames.
A folder is not going to be easy to “skootch” though. Besides the damage that would inflict on the hull, even with sacrificial rubber skid strips, the softer boats do not slide at all with the weight of a paddler plopped in them. A Pakboat Puffin Saco or Quest 150 solo folding kayak would be 24 pounds or 31 pounds respectively. Perhaps if she enjoyed the freedom such a light boat provides she would be prepared to change her launch technique to preserve it?.
Skin on frames using ballistic cloth with a two part polyurethane flexible coating are darned tough – they can also be replaced (the whole wooden kayak frame re-skinned) when the skin gets too beat up over the years. I have hard nylon plastic skid plates on the keel of mine (which only weighs 31 pounds despite being 18’ long). These boats have to be custom made, though.
It looks like the problem might have been solved. She found and bought a very gently used Eddyline Equinox 14 and seems to be rather protective of it. She asked about a keel guard and also wants me to show her how I use the paddle as a brace when slipping into my Vision 140 in knee deep water. Thanks for all the ideas and encouragement!
The Eddyline Equinox will most definitely be scratched and gouged, possibly even cracked by launching from a rocky shore. It’s a delicate material and your wife needs to understand how to care for it. Namely, don’t run into or over rocks and submerged trees, especially at speed and especially in very cold water. Thermoformed plastic is not for swift rocky rivers.
For older people, the easiest way to get in a kayak is this:
Place kayak parallel to shore, a bit less than knee deep.
Grasp front of coaming with both hands.
Place foot in center of kayak in front of seat.
Sit down, allowing yourself to drop gently into the seat.
@WaterBird said:
The Eddyline Equinox will most definitely be scratched and gouged, possibly even cracked by launching from a rocky shore. It’s a delicate material and your wife needs to understand how to care for it. Namely, don’t run into or over rocks and submerged trees, especially at speed and especially in very cold water. Thermoformed plastic is not for swift rocky rivers.
For older people, the easiest way to get in a kayak is this:
Place kayak parallel to shore, a bit less than knee deep.
Grasp front of coaming with both hands.
Place foot in center of kayak in front of seat.
Sit down, allowing yourself to drop gently into the seat.
I second, or third what WaterBird advised. I might quibble about the depth of water and exact proceedure with hand placement etc., but getting in and out of the boat should be a smooth easy process and should be something to feel good about. If you can enter a bathtub without busting your butt. or even slide into a sports car, you can enter and exit a kayak. Don’t expect to get real good at it until you’ve done it a lot.
An alternative method that might work for your wife and her new boat would be to stand next to the boat in a little deeper water with her back to the boat. Just sit down in the seat with both feet still outside the boat. The boat will get a bit on edge, but should be stable enough to allow her to swivel in the seat to a position where her legs are on either side of the boat. Then it’s just a matter of tucking each leg into the boat–one at a time. Getting out Is the reverse of getting in. This will take a bit of practice and learning to trust the boats stability. Hopefully the boat’s cockpit size and your wife’s flexibility are such that she is able to get it done. You indicated she is quite slender, so that should help.
WaterBird - thanks! Being her husband I’m used to not being listened to…till she gets into trouble. Yesterday she tried the way she always did (stern on the sand with bow in a foot of water). I kept my mouth shut as she put one foot in well off the centerline. The boat flipped and the cockpit half filled with water. I just handed her the bilge pump and didn’t say a word, then mounted as you described. After her boat was emptied she tried your method…and it worked.
Sometimes it’s really hard being a loving husband!
@magooch said:
I second, or third what WaterBird advised. I might quibble about the depth of water and exact proceedure with hand placement etc., but getting in and out of the boat should be a smooth easy process and should be something to feel good about. If you can enter a bathtub without busting your butt. or even slide into a sports car, you can enter and exit a kayak. Don’t expect to get real good at it until you’ve done it a lot.
An alternative method that might work for your wife and her new boat would be to stand next to the boat in a little deeper water with her back to the boat. Just sit down in the seat with both feet still outside the boat. The boat will get a bit on edge, but should be stable enough to allow her to swivel in the seat to a position where her legs are on either side of the boat. Then it’s just a matter of tucking each leg into the boat–one at a time. Getting out Is the reverse of getting in. This will take a bit of practice and learning to trust the boats stability. Hopefully the boat’s cockpit size and your wife’s flexibility are such that she is able to get it done. You indicated she is quite slender, so that should help.
Wife does this “side saddle” entry/exit all the time.
I always use the sidesaddle exit. Did learn the hard way to be sure my skirt is off the cockpit rim behind me.
Entry is straddling the boat, then sitting in the cockpit. That gives me a chance to hang my legs off the side to let my shoes drain. And brace if needed.
I am with the OPer on this one. The guy is bending over backwards to find a way to include his wife in kayaking with him. This is something that probably most here find admirable. It too often goes the other way.
So cracks about his choice of paddling partner are way out of line. You have registered your displeasure with the idea of having
to drag a boat. It is not helpful. Meanwhile from subsequent posts it appears he is on his way to a solution based on suggestions from people offering useful alternatives.