Kayaking Expert Advice: How to Get Into a Kayak

Katie from the REI Outdoor Schools shows how to get in and out of your kayak from a dock and from the beach.

[@kirilewis5938]

🤣 When she sat on the paddle 😂

[@davidarmstrong2503]

I would have broken paddle.

[@randyosborn284]

So which is worse? The bent paddle or the rashed yak hull? Answer: Neither if you sell paddles and yaks!

[@1PITIFULDUDE]

Never use your paddle to inter your kayak. Put the boat in the water, with sufficient depth to prevent grounding after boarding, and enter low and slow. Regardless of boat construction materials, you don’t purposely grind it into a substrate.

[@dodhdhdfdffgdhfonhdh]

kayaks are meant to be scraped and beaten, thats why yo get a plastic welder and some polyethylene or pp sticks, if its a glass boat you get weaved fiberglass and resin. boom! now youre a real kayaker ;) not a lake princess.

[@DrTommyDDS]

@@dodhdhdfdffgdhfonhdh This technique helped a lot, but I'm not sure I'd sit on top of a five hundred dollar Werner bent shaft paddle, like this guy. That Aqua-Bound she's using ain't cheap either.

[@laurasanchez7105]

@@DrTommyDDS You have a $500 paddle? Why? What makes it worth the money? I'm obviously not a kayaker but what makes a $500 worth $500 compared to a $50 or $100 paddle with the exact same shape and material?

[@DrTommyDDS]

@@laurasanchez7105 I'm just trying out different products on the market. Where I live I don't have the wide selection to choose from at local stores, so I have to order these fancy toys from other states. I have 2 paddles that are $500 each. They're "better" in a limited sense. They have ultra large blades/surface area, so they provide a brutal workout. Lifting weights doesn't produce the same muscle building results. My favorite is a $150 bent shaft, carbon fiber one from Academy. Does everything well and is relatively cheap. I have a few that are $45-75, and they all do the job well. You girls have 100's of shoes, so I have 5-7 paddles.

[@laurasanchez7105]

@@DrTommyDDS Hahahaha alright, but there's not many kayak stores where I live, that's where the wide range of products on the internet comes in handy so you don't have to buy overpriced products 😭

[@bretttran5919]

If you're on a flat, beachy shore...just get in the damn kayak.

[@uptone12111]

BAHAHAHA

[@tranquility9325]

Exactly.

[@CanadianMang]

LMAO !!!

[@radiochickpro]

@R P 🤣🤣🤣

[@ARI-wc6xd]

My thoughts exactly, who goes into a kayak like that? LOL

[@BrooklynAvenue]

1) Put the kayak in the water 2) Sit over your kayak 3) Put your feet in. Don't do such cruel things to your paddle.

[@musc507]

Hilariously overcomplicated, thanks for the laugh

[@woofna1948]

Lots of negative comments about this video. To be fair, it's not easy to enter a kayak from a dock and I have no objection to the technique she demonstrates. The beach launch is another story. If your kayak has a large cockpit, and the shoreline is gently sloping, it's easier to just put the kayak in the water, straddle it, and sit down so that your butt lands on the seat. At a boat ramp, for example, position the kayak so that it's parallel to the ramp so that both the bow and stern are in the water before you straddle the kayak. However, that's not an option when the shore drops off steeply or if your kayak has a smaller cockpit. In those cases, the paddle outrigger technique is the preferred method. But you definitely don't want to sit on the paddle shaft, and you want to keep the outrigger length to the minimum necessary for the technique. You have to keep the outrigger blade weighted, but again, with just enough weight so that you don't capsize on the other side. Rather than putting your butt on the paddle shaft, you sit on the back of the kayak so that your butt is just behind the coaming. Launching into surf is best done by getting into the kayak on shore - as close to the water as possible - attaching the skirt, parking the paddle under the decklines, and scooting forward using your fists. The fist technique avoids the high potential for finger dislocation if the bottom is uneven. If the ground is rough, gloves are a big plus.

[@BeaglyBeagle488]

Moulton, your video about using a rope to enter a yak from a dock was the most useful thing I've ever seen on KZbin!!

[@goldeneastgun]

If you snap your carbon shaft while sitting on it... Reference this video and maybe REI will give you a new one.

[@thomasengland1701]

Lol

[@pru5730]

My thought exactly! This 'technique' is ridiculous.

[@tranquility9325]

The easiest way to get in your boat is to straddle it, bend your knees, and lower your legs and bum into the boat. All that other crap is a lot harder than it has to be.

[@antsy_does]

Hard to do with short legs but still easier than this!!

[@adamsmithintin2803]

Could you make a video on how to get into your shoes, using your left and right foot. Some people suggest using shoehorns but I'm not sure if that is the correct method.

[@bjhcvuaerpigfy]

How to make it far more difficult than it needs to be in one easy lesson.🤣🤣

[@FrankLadd]

I would not recommend that beach launch if you are over 200 pounds. You;ll break some paddles. That's the way I was taught years ago. Great tips on dock launching!

[@andrewmarshall3891]

I'm assuming the first boat had a skeg so personally I'd launch it backwards so the skeg slot was floating in water and you're not wedging grit or pebbles in there which would foul the skeg. Just my opinion.

[@robertheidersbach588]

Definitely a good point to remember. You don't want to capsize the boat!

[@advancegraphics6400]

Thanks for lesson. 🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼

[@danielalvarez3499]

I usually just jump right in. I didn’t know there was a technique lol

[@datnamethough7950]

In youtube land there's a video for everything, probably so other people don't have to think for themselves ;)

[@laurasanchez7105]

@@datnamethough7950 Honestly it's not a bad thing, sometimes I come across a video where I'm like "huh why haven't I thought of this"

[@TomDufall]

​@@laurasanchez7105 I was looking for this because I've got a kayak with an ocean rather than keyhole cockpit, so you can't just get your feet in and then drop your knees, you have to kind of slide in. Not that this video helps, but that's why I was looking.

[@charleykemp2374]

I am shocked that REI puts out this stuff! No way to treat a boat or paddle.

[@rasmusdj6878]

Agree, 02:26 - goodbye paddle!

[@mikecoglione1308]

I disagree, I have been treating my Kayak and paddle like that for years, since 2006, and they have not broken. I bet you're a composite kind of guy. See, more expensive isn't necessarily better OK? Just because it costs a lot more doesn't mean it's more durable, only a little lighter and a lot more fragile! That's the luxury of plastic, they keep telling me it's not really indestructible, you can damage it, but only recently was I aware of all the rules of how you should treat your Kayak and I have been regularly not following any of them since 2006 on our Tsunami 125 & 140, as well as our Aqua bound paddles, same one she has. I'll add that I don't even bother putting the boat on the water to launch, I will put rocks next to it to prevent it from capsizing as I am very tall and while very fit, also a bit stiff and don't enjoy the best balance. So I literally launch and literally paddle the craft almost an entire boat length with it on the sand and rocks. That said the paddles have long since seized, and the Kayaks are all scratched up, but by golly they still work and I am proud to say I've done *zero* maintenance, not even a rinsing. You know, if our Kayaks broke tomorrow, I'd do the same thing again at this point because I used the heck out of them, it did not require the least amount of effort outside of paddling save putting them on racks for the winter and taking them out of the water when done paddling. It's so easy to own these plastic items that the greater performance of composite paddles and hulls is just not appealing. I'll go a little slower but totally care-free with aplomb. I could afford any Kayak I wanted and I just bought another plastic (Polaris 180) because I was looking for a touring type tandem but when I saw how you have to be so careful with composite paddles and hulls and seeing how rocky all our beaches are were I live and all the ingrained "bad habits" that are too easy or convenient to quit, well....... lightweight, an extra $2,000, indestructibility, priceless!

[@dannyroberts5056]

Mike I must agree with you on the plastic kayaks. They will take years of abuse and so will the paddles. I built my own cedar strip kayak 18 years ago and it has aquired a few battle scars along the way and two holes. I was able to repair it and I put new coat of varnish in it every year. I bought a used plastic Necky Chathem for my daughter and she loves it. I do have to be more aware of how I get in it or landing it. I always get in and out of it in shallow water. I like both types of kayaks plastic and my cedar strip kayak. I also love SOF kayaks. My cedar strip kayak only ways 45lbs fully rigged out with rudder and deck rigging. Aside from its pure beauty the thing I like most about my cedar kayak is I can leave it on my Jeeps roof rack all day in the hot sun while Im at work. Then go kayaking after work and the hull has never deformed. I can not say that about any of my plastic kayaks. They have all deformed to some degree or another. I still like them and love them for people I am teaching. As for paddles I use a bending branches wooden paddle 98% of the time. My spair is the first paddle I ever bought. Its a Perception Sea Passage I bought over 26 years ago. It has held up to everything I have thrown at it. I have never put my full weight on either paddle shaft. I do however use it for bracing while entering and exiting it. It doesnt matter to me what kayak people use as long as it fits them, their needs and they get on the water and have fun. BTW I built my kayak for just under $900.00 fully rigged out with rudder and foot controls. If I had bought one I would have payed no less than $5,000. for that design. I did trade sweat for dollers about 250 hours worth. I dont regret my decision. Like I said just get out and enjoy being on the water even if it only a piece of old dock styrofoam and a canoe paddle. Happy paddling.

[@randyosborn284]

Right?

[@jlt131]

Well it will help them sell more gear when people wreck what they own...

[@opwave79]

Very very helpful!

[@rei]

Glad you found it valuable! 🙌

[@siempreafavor730]

Gran video

[@chriskamaras5005]

What a way to sell more paddles. I'm 250 and quite sure it'll break. 🤣

[@siempreafavor730]

You are excellent

[@ryadb3035]

just get in !!

[@barryplant2895]

Hi thanks great advice. My problem is if you are entering the sea from the shore how would you enter your kayak with an 8inch fixed skeg / fin without causing damage to the fin and just maybe not being able to move forward as the fin would sink into the sand? May sound crazy but could you enter backwards? By that I mean push the kayak stern first into the water so the fin is clear of the sand and then enter the kayak facing up the beach not toward the water and push back and paddle back until the bow is immersed. Help!i Hi thanks great advice. My problem is if you are entering the sea from the shore how would you enter your kayak with an 8inch fixed skeg / fin without causing damage to the fin and just maybe not being able to move forward as the gun would sink into the sand? May hsound crazy but could you enter backwards? By tcc be at I mean push the kayak stern first so the fun is not digging into the sand and then enter the kayak and push back and paddle back until the bow is immersed. Help!

[@sabokgaming3438]

I'm wondering if it's easy for someone to tip over? I'm doing kayak for the first time tomorrow 😁

[@supersonnyd7369]

Thank you

[@rei]

Thanks for tuning in! 😊

[@glowbugVT]

This is an excellent way to crack expensive wooden paddles and needlessly scratch up composite hulls. Just drag it in the water, straddle it, hop in.

[@shawncallis4196]

And if I am using a full carbon Aqua Bound bent tango? This seems like BS then?

[@johngallagher912]

What's the reason for a composite kayak considering that it is more damage prone? Is it lighter than a similar plastic kayak?

[@waynefatguyinakayak7408]

They're usually considerably lighter than the plastic version of the same or a comparable boat, sometimes cutting the weight of the kayak by as much as 15-20 pounds. It might not seem like much, but it makes a huge difference when carrying your kayak or loading it on top of a vehicle.

[@kennyc388]

Nice scratching of the hull........no thanks.

[@tranquility9325]

Anton Bouchette exactly, esp hard if you have a fiberglass boat. Ridiculous.

[@BanjoShane]

How do you get out of the kayak?

[@DJMichaelAngelo]

Now if only there was a "how to" video for getting into a kayak on my river frontage where there's no dock, no beach, no sand, just rocks....these basketball-sized stones that make up the "shore" -- I always struggle greatly entering & exiting the kayak :(

[@jaxr2958]

Is there an embankment with a short drop. Get in the kayak on the edge of the embankment then drop the front of the boat into the water. From memory this is the easiest entry method of all once you get the hang of it.

[@DJMichaelAngelo]

thanks, I'll have to try that

[@jaxr2958]

DJMichaelAngelo Kinda like this but works much better with water. kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYq7doRuf7mjqLM

[@swimrski]

Check out the video "Getting in and out of a sea kayak | On any shorelines" from Dancing With the Sea. I use this method now and can hop in and out easily without having my kayak grounded. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJy5g5SKnM2hrc0

[@OXEN2013]

Thank you, to show us this way to do. But It is only one way of many ... But: Don't sit on your expensive carbone paddle - it can brake in the middle. !!!😳😖😱😩

[@spectrumman3457]

OXEN2013 I agree spent 200 on my paddle, not about to use it as a sitting stick

[@SirDrAdamB]

I noticed they didn't include a "how to get out of your kayak on the beach." No graceful way.

[@ChristelVinot]

I just paddle fast, launching myself up onto the shore lol

[@douglasbreyfogle2096]

NOT GOOD at ALL , put the kayak in the water. Hard on the kayak and the padel

[@kennyc388]

Hard on the PADDLE also.

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

Hard on?

[@letsgotribe3064]

No it not.😂😂😂

[@samloo8529]

Have never seen it done this way in sunny Singapore

[@nickyl9040]

I live on the Gulf Coast of Florida and I built a " T" shaped launching handle out of 1" schedule 40 PVC You will need PVC cement 10' of PVC 1 T connector and 3 end caps After you've determined the sizes Glue the horizontal arms to the T Do not glue the vertical leg Glue all end caps assemble and push back from the shore Once on the water disassemble and stow PVC is cheap Paddles are not

[@justaquestion1934]

3:53 is the only launch that makes sense

[@interminablyperplexed4903]

I think I'm simply uncouth, but it works for me and I've "suffered" zero consequences and haven't been arrested so? I pull up near the water. I push my kayak until it falls off the top of my 4runner. I throw my paddle near it. I drive up and park. I push the kayak into the water because I like, no I love water and slam my tush down and go. I don't mind getting a little wet whether it's 40 degree water or 90 degree water, i have a great experience. The yak so far, averages out to about $8 a year as I purchased it used for $150 in 2001. I use it approximately 25-30 times annually so that equates to about 3 dimes an outing. I just don't care or worry I should say about how I go about using it and apparently what I do doesn't harm it to any degree that would deem it unusable. I've caught a thousand fish off of it at this point, rode many waves, camped with it, flounder gigged with it, spearfish and dived with it, oyster and clam gathered with it and let my kids climb all over it and yet it's fine. I don't know, I just can't relate to many people as I also get to work every day in my 23 yr old truck no problem. The only "thing" I baby or really put effort into taking care of is my home as it actually can bring $ if I sell it and I actually spend a lot of time in it and with that investment...most everything else is sort of silly to get all serious about. Even my not expensive boat pulls my kids , catches me kings, sightsees just like the very expensive boats so again, just can't justify so much energy and $$ into something that only can do what I already have and can do. I'm a lunatic I guess? My wife and friends are like treat yourself....i dont get it, it's punishment to have to worry and shell out $$ and give a s$I+ when It changes nothing at all about my experience except for looks. Man that was a long rant! Goodnight

[@iviewthetube]

OK method for four to five foot surf waves.

[@brianmyers9989]

iviewthetube.................when you find it, send a link!

[@pandaoverboard]

scratch the kayak on sand.. way to go for beginners

[@eccosabanovic1589]

..what are those, 'syringe' like things mounted at front part of the kayak?

[@TheBirchCreek]

Pumps. To get water out of the kayak if (after) you capsize.

[@billyrock8305]

Just get in the damn boat and paddle.

[@GoodRedBlackRatio]

This looks hilarious and awkward, maybe it's right, it's the first vid on this I've watched - but I'm going to look for other vids... before I have to do it this way...

[@jlt131]

There are many other better ways! Hope you found one!

[@malcolmnicholls2893]

Dock: Put your feet in the kayak, it moves away, hold onto the dock with your chin, grunt for help. Beach: Put 2 part paddle over kayak, sit on it. It breaks, take out another £150. (or 400) Get a new paddle. I should comment, I'm useless at this ?

[@jeremyhanna3852]

Im 6'10 400 lbs any clue how i can do thid

[@brs04wsc]

The self beach launch...why-oh-why? Just do what the dude did and push out w/ your hands!

[@KatyushaRockets]

I was confused as all hell when she sat on the paddle, I'm assuming it's to reduce any damage to the stern but you really dont need to use the paddle like that.

[@Vylkeer]

The dock on/off tutorial was pretty good, but the beach one ... why would you sit on your paddle in the first place. Just hop inside and start pushing on both sides to get the kayak floating. Don’t even need a fist, you can use open hands as well. Geez.

[@KayakingCalifornia]

That's crazy...

[@nemod3338]

I just use Batman flashlight on the clouds

[@davidbergewaytogo]

I see myself scratching and tearing my NRS cVest PFD very easily doing this on old rotten and uncared for docks... ugh :)

[@Mywheel]

Eis this a Episode of monty Python?

[@nederlander9321]

I can't believe this dribble. Yeah, I'm gonna sit on my $250 paddle. Edit: 2023...$350.

[@calebnation7797]

I’m not even going to sit on my $40 paddle. My fat butt would have that aluminum hopelessly bent

[@cber5077]

Should also show what happens if you don’t follow your method :)

[@wshtb]

Now do it on a oyster covered beach.

[@BeaglyBeagle488]

that answer is simple: don't launch from that beach

[@AdventureOtaku]

Sitting on the paddle shaft? I don't think so.

[@QuicoReed]

Why don't you just sit on the rear deck behind the cockpit, slide your feet into the boat, and get in? I've been WW paddling for years, I've seen all manner of boaters of all sizes get into boats much tighter than that without these gymnastics.

[@DDD45LC]

Let's just turn the yak around so the front is on the bank and cockpit is at water edge,.. lay your paddle on over top of yak,.. step into with both feet and sit down, put you paddle together,.. and push off,. it is alot easier to push off the with paddle facing the bank then facing away from the bank,... if I got into my yak like you just showed me how to , all my friends would think I'm handicapped, in more ways than one if you know what I mean???!!!

[@bluewtr]

I’d not place the shaft on the rear end....there is a breaking point for everyone.

[@will.a.benjamin]

Too complicated and impractical. If you're launching from a shallow beach, why not just pull the kayak into the water and get in?? I do that on my shoreline.

[@thetranga]

Yeah but you try getting in when there's waves. Not easy. I'd like to see you try that please

[@rolandoperez8054]

Fail to mention that to Make sure the handle of your spray skirt is out in case you need to wet exit

[@markb8954]

She did mention to keep the spray skirt loop out. Check at about 3:10 in.

[@ThePhrozenOne]

now what if yo weigh 240lbs?

[@gdestas]

ППц сколько люди себе придумывают сложностей на ровном месте...

[@reinhardtrippmacher8776]

I won't put my fiber glass kayak on sand or rocks and i won't sit on my paddle. Just swing you bum in and start paddling...

[@Billy_Silva]

This looks like a The Office episode.

[@joesalemi2414]

Sure way to bend or break your paddle unless u weigh 110#s.

[@hans-olavskar6793]

When entering the kayak on the beach. Why not just have youre legs on both sides of the kayak and just sit down. But Thats to eazy for a video, people gotta learn a new and more complicated way to enter the kayak lol

[@kayakdream9864]

This is overcomplicated! A beached kayak like this is stable enough to just get in. If you are in a sit inside using a spray skirt this assumes a certain level of competency . Also just use a hand on each side to launch, leave the paddle out of this. The more you lift the less wear on the hull. I just keep paddle laying across my lap. So many bad kayak entry and exit videos by "experts". Perhaps a followup video on how to break a carbon paddle? I can often do this keeping my feet dry by starting up the beach a little bit. A much better video here kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5q1ZIePnLmtrtk

[@justinockhuis]

Never use you pedal to launch your kayak ever! 💯

[@KayakingCalifornia]

Hummm... Your method isn't going to work so great if the person weighs a lot and can't scoot across the sand.

[@sigurd_m5113]

kayak in the water, one foot on each side, sit the f down, isnt to hard

[@mikee8420]

Never sit on the center of your blade!

[@willow4983]

Okay everything was great up until she showed us how she gets in alone on the beach.... what in the fuck was that!? Way to make things more difficult than they need to be lol

[@KnockOffToyz]

Do help dress him too? LOL.

[@squirrelcovers6340]

Just straddle it and sit down. Never sit on your paddle.

[@solemgameinsights]

What the actual... this is the most unnecessary method ever. Step one foot over the kayak, lower yourself down. Done.

[@barbaracorwin7545]

You are not an overweight 70 year old.... as many who own kayaks are now. Your method is only for a few.

[@SU-452]

Terrible and amateurish

[@ponymoore6140]

Dock launch totally wrong!

[@WatchWhileHigh]

lol really 😂

[@perhemso]

Bb

[@mindseye4914]

Yeah this doesn't look right...especially the shore entering instructions.

[@kirk2459]

People who do not know what they are doing should not be making videos

[@mikeratkowski3506]

All the phony outrage, lighten up and paddle people.

[@northerniltree]

You're working too hard in that kayak yak yak yak yak yak, you ought to know by now.

[@davidgodley521]

This looks Painful! Perhaps she can't stand to get her feet wet climbing into the yak. Go figure!

[@gregsmith1955]

Nonsense.

[@alexwolf8044]

This can't be serious 😂

[@Enkaged]

🤦‍♂️

[@gabrielconf4808]

Bored!!!

[@kdstoffel7574]

Yikes! This was painful to watch.

[@josephinebennington7247]

Not everything is a boat. That is a general term for floating things that is now over used. You know the other nouns. Please use them. You are sitting in a kayak or canoe. You also have vessel, craft. It is not a ship, nor a launch, nor a yacht, nor a dinghy, or a skiff, nor a pram, nor a tender But you see just how many lovely words there are, better than talking about boats, boats, boats.

[@michaelulukau3252]

That sitting on the paddle technique is terribly exampled!

[@R.H160]

im over 200lbs . if i sat on my paddle like that i would snap it like a twig. sorry to hate, but this is a bad video.

[@LukTarPL]

This is the worst way of entering to kayak I've ever seen ;)

[@snowhiterover]

Yeah....that will result is a bent or broken paddle...horrible advice