Well, yes I can honestly say that I have punched a nice hole into a hull while getting back on board. The Bethwaite system is nice, but it was just too expensive for me to convert my traps to that so I rock it old school with the hooks. To answer your question though, the opening faces down, and yes, you may have to adapt to become a bit of a contourist. However on a lazy day, you can just pull yourself up and roll onto your side instead of twisting onto your butt.