Tips on Getting in a Kayak at the Dock

Video Transcript

Next thing we're going to talk about is getting in and out of your kayak on the dock. First boat we're going to use is a sit-on-top kayak. So the first thing you want to do is take your paddle, stick your paddle on the back of the boat with the blade overhanging the boat, one blade on the dock. Reason you do that is, you always want to have your paddle ready to go, that way you know where it's at, it's also out of your way, but it's easy to grab. The last thing you want to do is get in your kayak, remember that your paddle's sitting over there on the dock where you can't get at it. So this way you know where it is, you can even use it to stabilize yourself if needed. So getting in at a dock what I want to do is I want to keep my center of gravity as low as possible. What that means is keeping my butt as low as possible. If I stand up and I try and step into the boat, my center of gravity's going to be too high, it will make the boat tippier. So it's best that I go ahead and I sit on the dock like this, I put both feet in the boat like this, and I grab across. I'm keeping one hand on the dock underneath me and one hand on the far side of the boat. In this case I can grab the straps, I can grab the line on the other side of the boat. What I want to do when I get into the boat is I want to twist my knees and pull them towards my body. If I pull them towards my body, it will keep the boat against the dock. If I push my knees away from me, it's going to push the boat away from the dock, and there's a good chance I'll be in the water. So if I push my knees and my legs away, see how the boat starts leaving the dock? Then there's a good chance I'm going to end up in the water rather than in the kayak. So what I want to do is pull my knees towards my chest, grab on, lift up with this hand, and, keeping my butt low, bring myself over into the boat. Then I'll adjust the seat so that I'm ready to go. I can grab my paddle. I remember to grab it so that the labels on the blades are facing me, and I'm ready to go kayaking. Always make sure you're wearing your life jacket, or have it with you. I know on this lake you're required for one life jacket for every person in the boat.

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