So, I liked Nat's idea so much (well, her conveyance of it) that I've been messing about with the design of a Motel-o-Scope all day.
The design isn't finished yet, and differs a bit from the original, but all the required parts look to be easily available (e.g. from a certain big green hardware warehouse) and eBay in one case.
Total weight of the cover (the part a person has to lift) looks like it'll be ~10kg, so it's quite feasible.
And, after measuring everything, it looks like it'll cover a C14 on a G11 (or EQ8) with a few centimetres to spare.
Nat - thanks for posting - I think a Motel-o-Scope is the solution to my problem.
