How to Install a Canoe Landing in a Mud-Bottom Lake

Prone to tipping with one miscalculated step, loading and launching a canoe on a lake with a soft muddy bottom can prove challenging. In addition to a potential dunking, just getting in without filling the boat with dirt is no easy task; building a dock is a permanent solution, but no easy job either. A simpler solution is to install a lightweight and portable floating canoe landing that can be easily removed when the season is over.

Things You'll Need

  • 4- by 8-foot sheet of 1/2-inch plywood
  • Drill
  • 1/4-inch drill bit
  • 150-grit sandpaper
  • Gallon flat oil base primer paint
  • Paint brush
  • 4 16-inch inner tubes
  • Air pump
  • 100 feet of 1/4-inch diameter nylon rope
  • Knife
  • 2 cinder blocks
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Instructions

    • 1

      Drill four evenly spaced holes with a 1/4-inch drill bit along both sides of the plywood, placing the holes 1 inch from the edge of the sheet.

    • 2

      Sand a 4- by 8-foot sheet of 1/2-inch plywood with 150-grit sandpaper until all rough surfaces are smooth and no splinters remain.

    • 3

      Paint the plywood with two coats of an oil-based primer. Work the paint into the drilled holes with a brush. Allow the paint to dry according to the manufacturer's directions.

    • 4

      Inflate four 16-inch truck tire inner tubes half way with an air pump. Fold the tubes in half and lash the two halves of each tube together loosely, in the middle of each half of the tube, with nylon rope. Cut the rope as needed with a knife.

    • 5

      Lay the plywood flat on the ground. Place two of the inner tubes end-to-end along the inside edge of the plywood sheet. Space the tubes evenly apart so the lengths of the tubes run parallel with the length of the plywood. Repeat with the other two inner tubes along the opposite edge of the plywood.

    • 6

      Face the plywood from one end of the sheet. For reference purposes, the side of the plywood against the ground will be the top side and the side of the sheet with the tubes will be the bottom.

    • 7

      Run a piece of 1/4-inch nylon rope through the hole nearest you on the right side of the plywood sheet. Tie a half knot in the end of the rope on the top side of the plywood. Pull the rope until the knot pulls tight against the plywood.

    • 8

      Wrap the rope under and around the first half of the closest inner tube -- nearest the right edge of the plywood. Wrap the rope under and around the second half of the first tube. Repeat the wrapping procedure for the opposite tube on the right side of the plywood. Thread the rope up through the first hole on the left side of the plywood, from the bottom side of the sheet. Pull the rope tight and tie the rope off with a half knot on the top side of the plywood. Cut the rope off just above the knot with the knife.

    • 9

      Run the rope up from the bottom through the second hole on the right side of the plywood sheet. Tie a half knot in the end of the rope on the top side of the plywood. Pull the rope until the knot pulls tight against the top of the sheet. Repeat the wrapping procedure with the rope across the first two inner tubes. Thread the rope through the bottom of the second hole on the right side of the plywood. Tie the rope off with a half knot on the top side of the sheet. Repeat the procedure for the second pair of inner tubes.

    • 10

      Fill the tubes with the air pump until all surface areas of the tubes are firm and the tubes resemble big bananas.

    • 11

      Move any sharp objects, such as rocks or sticks, that could puncture the tubes away from the shoreline. Place the plywood in the water at the edge of the lake with the tubes on the surface of the water. Orient the plywood so the length of the sheet runs parallel to the shoreline and pull the landing against the shore.

    • 12

      Tie a piece of rope to a cinder block. Drop the block in the water at one end of the dock. Pull the rope tight and tie the rope attached to the cinder block to the rope attached to the nearest inner tube. Repeat with a second cinder block at the opposite end of the landing.