5 gallon buckets as pontoons

[wake711]

i was wondering if it would work if i attached three 5 gallon drywall buckets that were airtight on each side of a boat as pontoons, and how would i fugure how much bouyancy they had.

[Dutch Peter]

Originally Posted by wake711

i was wondering if it would work if i attached three 5 gallon drywall buckets that were airtight on each side of a boat as pontoons, and how would i fugure how much bouyancy they had.

Yes you can.

Buoyancy of an object equals the weight of the amount of displaced liquid. i.e. an object displacing a cubic meter of (fresh) water is subjected to a lifting force of 1 ton.
This lifting force is in balans with weight of the object (the bucket) + weight X.

X can be a force pushing/pulling object down, ballast (live or dead) , (in your case) a boat, etc.

[JEM]

Each 5 gallon bucket completely submerged would provide about 41 pounds bouyancy.

I'd worry about them cracking though. Not design to withstand that kind of pressure. Maybe fill them with 2-part bouyancy foam?

[Dutch Peter]

Originally Posted by JEM

I'd worry about them cracking though. Not design to withstand that kind of pressure. Maybe fill them with 2-part bouyancy foam?

Wake,

Filling them with foam is a good option to prevent flooding, but remember to add the weight of the foam as part of the bucket weight!