I'm currently planning on building a boat ladder for my dogs (two dogs, ~80 lbs each) and was wondering if anyone has some suggestions. I was thinking about using PVC to build the ladder frame, and then strapping sheets of fiberglass or something water-friendly to the PVC frame. I figure some of you woodworkers (thus the post to rec.woodworking) might have some tips on design and/or materials, because obviously you can't just build everything out of wood all the time, right? :)
My current design would be a 2-step ladder, again with a frame built out of PVC. The frame would attach to the boat with a simple rope and hook assembly to the back of the boat. I would like the fiberglass sheets to be detachable from the frame fairly easily so that the design is friendly for storage. Another concern is that the bottom step needs to be submerged underwater, i.e. not floating. The PVC/fiberglass combo is the best I can come up with, but perhaps someone has a better suggestion?
Disclaimers:
(1) I know you can buy ladders like this, but from what I've seen, they're aren't many options, and they're typically very expensive. I think I can build something that suits my needs for considerably less money.
(2) I know some people have taught their dogs to climb up their foldout ladders. I don't see how this is possible with my dogs, the rungs on the ladder are way too narrow for their paws.
(3) I know I cross-posted this to rec.woodworking, but I also know the people in that newsgroup are pretty good with their hands and might have some tips on my assembly. If someone can recommend a better newsgroup for this post, please let me know, as my intent isn't to post this somewhere where it's frowned upon.
Thanks, Dustin