I'm happy to hear that you made it out okay, David, but that's one scary story!

Would it be an option for you to get a spraydeck that you can push up with your knee? I have one of those for in the pool, which has a strap going across the cockpit. My GF has one (which is very tight) that she can easily push up with one knee. It would require a boat where you can lift your knees up of course...

Wilko

http://wilko.webzone.ru