Need Advice On Making A 16' Homemade Pontoon Boat

[Sceptre]

im not sure if im in the right section but me and my friend desidet to build a pontoon boat we dont know much about boats so were not sure what to make the hulls out of so far we got 3 choises; we can weld aluminium together to form a hull but were not sure how it will work because most hulls are air compressed other method is to take 4-5 barrels and weld them together OR we can just use wood and put a fiberglass on top
-welding metal aluminum
-use barrels
-wood with fiberglass

for the engine we think that using a boat motor would be too easy so were thinking of taking any other small motors [lawn mower, go cart, .....]

the other thing we want to do is to make the deck come appart for easy transportation make it bolt and unbolt in the middle and make the hulls bolt on and bolt off so far were not sure what to use to waterproof and coat it with so any advice how to make it would be much appreciated

and all the pictures are just versions and scrap scetches [the propellers supoust to be way lower

[icedout]

When i made my 7 ft boat I had alot of trouble with belt drive. If you really know what to do with belt drive i would say go for it. I would say go with the inboard outdrive or with the right angle design.

[Deadeye]

Just a thought, but for a boat that size why not go electric and use a couple of trolling motors? It's a whole lot easier to run wiring than belts. The speed control on each motor could be used to synchronize the two so the thrust is the same, then you just need a controller that'll split power to both equally. I'm working on a plywood 12' myself...though I've only gotten the keels glued up so far.

[robherc]

If you're capable at welding aluminum, I think it'd work out well for you, for the hulls. Just make sure you keep it painted, ESPECIALLY if it's going to be seeing saltwater, as that stuff can corrode many mixes of aluminum FAST if they're not protected.

Also, I'd be tempted to fill the hulls with pour-in-place flotation foam too, so if everything goes to !@#$ and water penetrates a hull, you still aren't going to be making a quick trip to the bottom! ;)

Other'n that, good luck, and have fun!