The paddle bungies should be such that you can slide a paddle underneath without much side to side movement - the idea is that you want to keep the paddle stable while you climb onto and then into the boat. Another thing to consider here is the paddle itself - if you're using a feathered paddle, you'll definitely want to use a paddle float to prevent the outboard blade from knifing into the water when you try to climb up onto the back deck. With blades at the same angle, you can (with practice) get back into the boat without a float. That's how I've learned, since I figure I'll want to know how to do that in any case should I lose my float.

Gero