[Harley Cross]

Hi,

I used to belong to this group years ago, then sold the Chatham 17 for a Hobie fishing kayak. Anyway, back again now after purchasing a used CD Solstice GT in Kevlar. Great boat and a lot more stable than my Chatham. But, this has pluses and minuses. One of the negatives appears to be re-entry after a wet exit. Maybe being a few years older it’s me, but with the boat being wider it’s harder to get up on and scramble. Anyone have/had this boat and have any tips/advice?

apart from learn to roll lol. Many thanks

Harley

Topic

[Harley Cross]

Thanks guys. I did try further back Philip, but fell off lol. I did get it to work further up today and also had success with heel/hook.

[Philip Kubik]

Hello Harley,

If you wish to continue to use the scramble, try getting on your kayak closer to the stern. The farther back you go, the more the stern will sink, and the easier it is to get on the deck. Of course, the downside is that you have farther to travel along the deck to get into the cockpit.

Regards,

Philip

[Harley Cross]

Thanks Maureen and Heather. Maybe I should try the inflatable float. Never used one. Issue I find Maureen with the extra width is actually being able to straddle the cockpit. It’s just too wide for my tight hips lol.

[Maureen Benzon]

Hi Harley,

If you are trying to scramble up onto a wider boat, climb up near the back (be careful of the rudder), then keeping your body low and your legs wide, pull yourself forward until your chest is over the front deck before you drop your bum into the seat.

Have fun practicing!

 

[Mary Yee]

Hi Harley, Ditto on the heel hook method. And also recommend an inflatable paddle float too. Although I am successful using a regular paddle float, using the inflatable one was so easy, my friend who is heavier kept failing when using a regular float , did the self rescue with the inflatable one on the first try.

Mary

[Harley Cross]

Thanks Heather. I will take a look 🙂

[Heather Kirk]

Hi Harley,

Try the heel hook rescue. It’s bomb-proof. Here’s website to do it assisted but it can be done solo too with a good paddle float:

https://ca.video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&p=heel+hook+kayak+rescue#id=1&vid=4d3b4d67e89f1ef72005c94c92448aee&action=click

Cheers,

Heather K.

[Author]

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