@ Paul,
That's my plan, basically.
The idea I had was to place the 2 "joists" far enough apart that a person could fit between them, then lay a couple short deck boards across the top (just 2 or 3 at each end should do it) and leave an open hole in the middle of the deck/bridge to pull myself up through, using both rails for support like a set of parallel bars you might see in the gym.
Instead of swinging my feet into the canoe directly from the water (too messy), I'd probably sit down onto the decking and drain for a bit or towel off before climbing back into the boat. If I find it too difficult to get out of the water that way (if the deck is too high off the water, or I'm not strong enough to haul my wet ass all the way up and out in one pull) it would be a piece of cake to attach a hanging stirrup loop for the feet and use it as a ladder rung to attain the extra lift.
My climbing partner will be attending also, and he has a full-sized canoe as well. If we can pull it off, he wants to make a deck big enough to actually lie down on so he can get out of his canoe seat and move around a bit more. Personally, that seemed like overkill to me, considering that we'll have to haul a lot more materials and spend considerable time erecting and breaking down the deck.
But he works at a lumberyard and has access to a nice wood shop, so I'm definitely willing to meet him halfway on some of the design issues, at least. This guy has rescued me more than once, and vice versa.
We'll confer tomorrow (Wed.) over some plan drawings and reach a consensus on what we think we can or can't pull off. Whatever happens, it'll be a fun project. A preliminary field test will be the utimate decider of the outcome, of course.
Here's a list of extra gear I'm planning to bring for use on this special operation:
-Bottom anchor (a one-gallon Clorox jug filled with steel chain)
-Standard rain umbrellas for shade (golf-sized is about the maximum necessary)
-Extra tiedowns: short bungee-cords, long bungee-cords, some strong nylon line
-At least 4 spring-activated compression straps for anchoring the deck to the boats
-At least 2 long 2x4s for the joists
-Some short tongue-and-groove decking boards with holes drilled through the ends for lashing to the joists
-Boogie-board, inner tube, or air mattress for enhanced waterborne mobility
-A tiny inflatable raft (child-sized) just in case I want to float the cooler or other gear outside the boat
-A length of 1-inch tubular nylon webbing for the foot-stirrup ladder
As to your parting query: No. My roommate is not a girl, she's a woman. She's tentatively planning on attending as well, but not on the "blues" day which I believe is Sunday.
-Kent
