Kayak - Ins' and Outs

[dmksails]

I've seen a number of sailboats with kayaks aboard and it does seem like a fund way to get around an anchorage. My question is - how do you get into and out of one while at anchor?

I've done some kayaking in ocean kayaks and I'm pretty sure I could never stand up on one. I have a Tashiba-31 with a pretty high freeboard.

So how do you do it?

[Nooka]

We have a decent swim platform which obviously makes things easier, but our new inflatable kayak (Sevylor Ottawa - only kayak of any kind we've ever tried) is remarkably stable - I am 220lbs and can step aboard from boat or quay and stand up no problem. Obviously you have to tread in the middle, not the tubes, but it's pretty forgiving.


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[thomm225]

Originally Posted by dmksails

I've seen a number of sailboats with kayaks aboard and it does seem like a fund way to get around an anchorage. My question is - how do you get into and out of one while at anchor?

I've done some kayaking in ocean kayaks and I'm pretty sure I could never stand up on one. I have a Tashiba-31 with a pretty high freeboard.

So how do you do it?

I'm over 60 and have a folding kayak which means it isn't as good of a platform as an actual hard shell kayak. Mine is a 16'6" Folbot Cooper. 24" wide

(but) I stand up in it while holding the toerail then climb aboard. My boat has no ladder......

Speaking of folding kayaks that can fit into a backpack and be stored in the trunk of a car or down below on a sailboat, the Feathercraft Wisper also looks like a good kayak

http://www.brkayak.com/Gear/Kayak/gear_kayaks.htm


http://feathercraft.com/kayaks/wisper/

[zeehag]

i use one and have for over 20 years--i have a good boarding ladder, i use a line to hold said boarding ladder to boat.
i sit on my caprail. have kayak at base of ladder, and swing meself into kayak, making good and sure i am dead center of kayak.
they are most tender.
i maintain hold of ladder as i lower myself CAREFULLY into kayak...with a huge sigh, and a plop as i sit and laugh..whooohooo another success!!!
yaaayyy
to exit kayak--i paddle back to boat, grab ladder and or line and hold on for dear life as i wiggle my ass into position to ohmy get into old lady position with bad knees groaning and moaning and feet flat on floor of kayak--i pull self up assisting the standing up with the line attached to boat.. VERY carefully, staying in middle of kayak..stand and wobble a tad to allow neighbors and watchers think there is fun to watch as i place one foot on the boarding ladder, hanging on for dear life , of course, and board via ladder.
whew that was work . i laugh and that is all folks..ha ha ha ha ha
when i visit power boats, i manage to get onto the swim step--in my own fashion, and laugh the entire time so observers think i know what i am doing. splat i am on swim step..h ah aha now back into boat from swim step--sit on swim step. place both feet into kayak with hands placed for best use to help with the buttswing, facing forward-slide and buttswing your butt into kayak with a loud plop and ta daa you are in kayak whoooot..another miracle. yes you will make cute lil circles in the water around kayak my way.

my kayak is a flat water entry level kayak. i also have a second level flat water kayak and a stearns inflatable.

and folks THINK i am skilled~~~~h ah ah ah aha our life is just a series of miracles as we do death defying deeds constantly, daily and as we see fit.
have fun.
you may want to practice from beach to get the feel of he lil insecure feeling boat. learn how to offset your weight as you clamber into it. it can be most embarrassing to fail, not to mention WET!!!! so make sure that before people see you that you have practice on your side. yep i cheat--ha ha ha i have been doing wakky stuff like htis and leaky old rowboats with different length oars since i was 7 yrs old. this aint nothin.

[tuffr2]

There are two types of kayaks. 'Sit inside' like a Wilderness Pungo 120. These are easier to paddle but are not easy to board, even with a platform.

Then they make 'sit on top' like Wilderness Tarpon 120. These are more stable but a bit more difficult to paddle. The Tarpon 120 is kinda heavy.

Do not buy a cheap kayak as these will not be fun to paddle. I have a Pungo 120 and have paddled it 8 - 10 miles. It glides nice. But I would not but a 'sit inside' as it can fill up with water and is not self bailing.

I would recommend either the Hurricane Skimmer 116 or better yet a Eddyline Caribbean 12. These are made out of a very lite plastic and are the easiest to paddle 'sit on top'. Go to YouTube and check them out.

[tuffr2]

Forgot to mention the 'sit inside' kayaks would be very difficult to enter or exit from/to a boat even with a platform as it is very tricky. If you are athletic and stong it is not easy.

[thinwater]

I stand up. It's not strength, it's balance. Put one foot in the center and hold the rails.

I have a platform, but I just still stand. It's easier. Over the side is more difficult, particularly if there are waves.



Forced to chose between the catamaran and the kayak, I might take the kayak.

[zeehag]

all three of my kayaks are sit in side as sit on top are unstable in a wake and you topple over. the ONLY time in 61 yrs boating i was EVER dumped into the water was from a sit on top kayak when a power boat kicked a huge wake 4 ft from me. sit inside are as i described--exactly to the plop when ye sit in em.. you might want to try out kayaks before buying--they are rentable

[Neptune's Gear]

Like many things, it's practice! I have a hard shell DRR (Downriver Racer). Getting in and out is not easy, but paddling it is great (very fast, but not all stable, support strokes and rolling ability a must).
Process like this. Kayak over the side, use the paddle to position it blow the chain-plates, cockpit just aft of the shrouds. Climb over the side, place foot in center of cockpit while holding shrouds. Change hand grip to gunnel of yacht, sit on kayak just aft of cockpit. Both feet into cockpit. Now the dodgy bit - put paddle in water beside kayak (in case I fall out, so I can roll) Let go yacht, both hands on rear sides of cockpit, slide bottom into seat. Put on Spray deck, pick up paddle and go.
Exit is either a swim, or the reverse.
Despite several years competitively paddling whitewater kayaks (many years ago!) I still have the odd involuntary swim doing this if its a bit choppy!
To anyone with a sit-on-top - try a real kayak! Way faster, and therefore easier to go further, and light weight (mine is 15Kg which is not even really light), but yes, they take more skill to paddle safely.
Kayaks are great!

[UNCIVILIZED]

One way to make ingress & egress easier is to cheat. Do this by temporarily or (almost) permanently turning the kayak into a half-assed outrigger canoe. Whether you choose to pick up of a pre-built kit to do this, or via a DIY setup. You'll find examples, as well as kits & gear for sale if you do a search under the term "kayak amas".

And you can always leave the extra float (ama) out there, or just have it mounted when in situations where you want all of the extra stability that you can get. I've even seen rigs where people have floats on both sides, thus turning the kayak into a mini trimaran.

In it's simplest form, adding such stability is embodied by the inflatible floats that you attach to your kayak's paddle in order to effect a self-rescue when you inadvertently flip it over. So that by placing the non-buoyed end of the paddle on the kayak's deck, it temporarily becomes an "outrigger canoe". With it's now enhanced stability allowing you to more easily climb back into it from a position in the water.

Or you could use a boat fender or lifejacket to do something similar in order to stabilize your kayak when boarding, & getting out of it when alongside bigger vessels.

It's an old trick that's KISS, & handy to have tucked into one's quiver.

[mark maulden]

I use an Advanced Elements inflatable. It has zippers from the combing going fore and aft so the cockpit area can be increased. I roll in and out of it from an inflatable dinghy tube. Keep a painter on the kayak. I do also get in from the deck. Its a bit of a "leap of faith" but with practice you feel better about it....

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

Forgot to mention the 'sit inside' kayaks would be very difficult to enter or exit from/to a boat even with a platform as it is very tricky. If you are athletic and strong it is not easy.

It's not quite that hard.

Mine's a "sit inside" folding kayak. (16'6" L / 24" W) I'm 6' tall with a 34" inseam which means it's harder for me getting my legs out of the thing etc

My boat has no ladder or platform. I use either the toerail or the stern railing to assist exit.

Entry is done differently and I would say is less comfortable because you aren't used to being in the Kayak for an hour or so and haven't adjusted

As far as a sit inside kayak filling up with water, this isn't a problem especially if you have the spray skirt. If it does get water in it, you can bail it out while the floation holds you at water level.

Or get out of it, flip it and partially drain one end at a time, then flip, reenter and bail the rest

[dmksails]

Great ideas - Thanks!

I took an ocean kayak class at Lake Union back in the 90's. Even learned how to roll and come back right sided! Going to have to practice that again. After the class I went on a 4 day trip in the San Juans that was simply fantastic!

I saw a video of a device called the KayArm. It attaches to the dock and provides a stabilizing arm that you run the kayak on to. I think I could make something similar the would attach to the boat.

[foufou]

The "Eskimo Roll" was mentioned only once in the above comments and is a very useful skill to learn so that in the event of a capsize you come up smiling in seconds and paddle on. It is possible to re-enter a sit in kayak while in the water. I did it once, many years ago after falling out in the surf. Got the water out mostly and sat on the stern and inched my way forward straddling the kayak. When I got near the cockpit I swung my legs in and stuffed myself in. Not certain I could still do this now. F

[jkindredpdx]

My thought for limiting lost deck space, economy, in water cockpit drainage, and mold avoidance is a shorter sit atop. It would not perform as well, but with easy storage, durability, and easy handling will be used more. I expect to use it more in-harbor anyway. The money I save will help pay for my second, more advanced kayak and by then I'll know more Kayaking & Canoeing | Kayak, Canoe, and Paddle Resource: Paddling.net