Wrner Paddle strength

Long legs, short cockpit
I am envious of you folks that have short enough legs that allow you to sit your butt down first and THEN bring your legs inside of the boat. I do not have particularly long legs (32" inseam), nor do I have an ocean cockpit to impede my entrance/exit. That being said, there is no way possible for me to drop my butt in first before my legs. Thus, I have been relegated to using the paddle behind the cockpit to gently steady the boat as I get in. Thankfully, my Artisan Millenium is built like a tank and can withstand the weight of my body as I slide into the cockpit from the back deck.

lightly reinforced decks
yes it is in quest for lighter boats… but the more savvy builders lighten up at or near the ends of the boats not the immediate aft or foredecks. They know that people will use the near decks for support - their own body or the boats/bodies of others during rescues.



There are some boats where the aft deck is weak simply because it is poorly built - too thin, overly flexy - and the bulkhead beneath it also flexes too much and even moves slightly off its base. The issue is not the intended use or the weights of the paddler, it is build quality.

short legs
umm well, my inseam is the same as yours :smiley: I’m sure you are taller tho, as I’m 5’3".



maybe it is flexibility - we’re all made differently and we work w. what we got.


34" inseam and butt in first
I have 34" inseam (6’1" height) and I can go (just) butt in first/legs later in the Impex Assateague.

I can also do the same on the SeaBird Designs Northsea.

Admittedly the Impex Currituck, with a more conventionally sized keyhole cockpit, is a bit trickier to do butt first style.

Once I have my butt on the seat, I quickly slide back out just enough to clear my legs off the coaming and get them in.

It puts me in an “unstable” position for just a second or two but not long enough to totally loose my balance.

If I use the paddle for skulling support when backing out of the seat I am very stable.

With enough training the balance improves and using the paddle for skulling one can even stand up in a kayak: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gnarlydog/3939555119/in/set-72157608670550757/

artisan millenium
The boat this guy says he uses really does have a small keyhole coaming. Especially considering that it’s a big guy’s boat. The coaming is considerably smaller than the Tempest 165, for example. My 32" inseam legs are plenty flexible, and there’s no way I could go into the Artisan Millenium butt first.

small
cockpit is just another case of how you percieve you need to get in



some believe that just because they have an ocean cockpit , the need to do the paddle in the mud/sand/rock behind the back thing.



they were taught that this is how “real” kayakers enter anyway…HUH



even with an ocean cockpit, using the paddle in such a manner focuses the atention on how you are balancing with the paddle in the dirt…not necessary



focus on how you balance the kayak and forget whether it’s a two leg slide into an ocean …or a butt drop into a keyhole.



neither entry needs the paddle in the mud and behind the back



if you must, slide the paddle in the deck cords IN FRONT of the cockpit and aiming out into deep water.



it dampens…can be ignored…and is handy to get



balance like getting onto a bar stool



get into the kayak (weaken or break no paddles)then you can pay as much as you want to for the paddle you really want to use



Best Wishes

Roy

agreed
I paddle an ocean cockpit boat, and don’t brace the paddle against anything to get in. The paddle is balanced on the back deck as I straddle and slide into the boat in knee deep water.



I didn’t mean to suggest that anyone needs to brace a paddle on shore to get in. I was just responding to what sounded like people telling the guy with the Artisan that the reason he can’t do a butt-first entry is that he isn’t flexible enough. Lots of different cockpit sizes out there.