Yet Another raft!

[sethmeredith]

Okay, this is the second time posting this. Something went wrong.

I, like many others, want to spend time lazily floating down a river. I have decided to build a raft.

Four barrels have been acquired. Here's a pic.



My plan is to have the two white one in the back a few feet apart with the blue ones right next to each other in the front. This would form a point. I assume that would help keep the raft oriented.

My question is, will the size difference in the barrels create a problem?
Could I fill the blue barrels with bottles for added buoyancy ?

Thanks,
Seth

[Manie B]

oh boy this is gonna be gooood
cumon boys let rip
the1 SH mas trevs F and all those i missed

[the1much]

putting bottles in ya barrel will give you less buoyancy,,that point thingy might work,,,but i doubt it,,,everything to me seems like ya gonna spend all that lazy time keeping ya raft balanced.,,,go get 2 more white barrels.
SEE MANIE!!,, i can do it "nicely" hehe

[Roy Achoy]

Years ago I used 5gal round barrles to float a gold dredge. I built a frame of square allunimun tubing to hold 8 barrles 4 per side like a catamaran.
The Water pump was a 5hp B&S and I had a 8ft Sluice box with Grizzly when pumping water the setup was floating well over 200 lbs.

I built it so that it was bolted together so I could hike the bits in to tne creek then put it together creekside.

Never found the motherlode but it was a fun way to spend some time during the summer.

[Knut Sand]

Originally Posted by the1much

seems like ya gonna spend all that lazy time keeping ya raft balanced.,,,go get 2 more white barrels.

Polite...

Try to steer clear of oil barrels (if they'r not clean....).
Can't get too many barrels.... Bouyancy in one is a little less than 200 kgs, minus the load of the design, minus the lost bouyancy from the leak, some weight here'nthere... So; If you'r not alone on that raft, lazy, hit or see something in the water, walks sloooowly to the corner (ending up above 1 barrel) and then utter the famous last words; "hey, look at that!".....

[sethmeredith]

okay i found a big hunk of scrap metal in the scrap metal bin. I'm going to use this to weld to the two barrels in the back and maybe another piece in the front for more stability. Then put planking on top of these and use some long planks to go to the barrels out front. if i stay in the back it should in theory stay balanced since there will be more weight on the back which has more buoyancy. Has anyone had experience welding these barrels? If i just bolted them on and then caulked around the holes would that work? (doubt it)
Should i weld it on top or more in the middle to even out buoyancy?
Here's the pic with the bumper (i think)



I think when it's finished I'll christen it the Lubricating Dutchman lol

-Seth

[the1much]

hahahahah @ luby dutch,,hehe ,,i would put ya beam on the top,,,,why use metal?,,it'll cut down on ya buoyancy,,its a raft,,,tie a board across em ,,,and we BETTER get pics of her maiden voyage!! hehe

[Knut Sand]

Can I add one word here...?

BIG

You need the room, the bouyancy, the luxury.
Some friends built one, it was clearly inspired by "Con Tiki" (Thor Heyerdal's raft). Huge mast, big sail. I was shanghaied for a smaller part of the journey, then a pub shanghaied me, so they travelled the last stretch alone in the summer night.... I should have known.... or maybe I did.....

Ok: East of my hometown is a nice area, islands, bridges.... This mast was, ehhh well you know, ex-scouts on steroids, bigger, better, more... you know where I'm getting? Oh, and did I mention the electricity, to these islands? Populated islands?

According to the tale, there was a booooooing, bigbigZZZZaaaapppp! Very much light, then complete darkness, kinda visited by Lucas, the emperor of the darkness. complete darkness. After finding out that all persons were still present and in function, well, not less function than before, that is. They made the desicion that, since the rig had taken some beating, the trip was over. And there was a nice place yonder to rig down. Thay said the dismantling went surprisingly fast. Lot of barrels, some timber, that was all. Then the people from the electricity company came, the police. Questions were asked "have you seen a f** sailboat here???!" Nay sir, no sailboat has been here." "Are you sure?" "Yup, sir, no boats been here as long as we have been here"....

Then they were swearing, and went elsewhere. to look for a tree, a sailboat... Was only a small notice in the papers....

[rogerstrube]

I stuff empty bottles in the dead spaces of all my boat projects. I stock the refrigerator at my hobby shop with Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gator Aid, etc. I also have the odd Gin, Vodka and Rum 2 liter plastic bottles. Water bottles are generally not useful as the plastic is not thick enough. The bottles are wrinced and lables removed, then dried using an old beer making drying rack I had laying around. Recap the bottles when dry and store in large yard waste bags until needed. All the small boats I have built are stuffed with these bottles. These projects (including bottle stuffing pics) may be reviewed on my website at:
www.wingsailor.com by clicking on "Projects". My big boat, Millennium Dragon (Ocean Catamaran 49) has the empty space between the bow and the crash bulkhead stuffed with these bottles. This may provide a little extra floatation (the cat, unlike monohulls and the metal barrels you are using will not sink) but the main reason is additional crash energy absorption. Sort of like the barrels you see protecting bridge pilings on the highway. Another big advantage to using bottles is ease of repair of the hull. If you are holed, there is no soggy foam to deal with. You just patch the hole and you are good to go.
Start drinking diet Pepsi and saving the bottles.

[sethmeredith]

How does this look for a start?



-Seth

[the1much]

dude,,,,ya got ya myspace set to FRIENDS ONLY!,,hehe,,,and then ya send us there,,,,,are you sure you wanna go through with this? hehe
when ya post,,hit the "advance" button next to the post quick reply,,then unda the text box that pops up,,,go to "manage attachments" ,,then hit the "browse your computer" button and point it to ya pic,,,,then hit the upload,,,,,,,,,are you sure you wanna do this?,,hehe

[sethmeredith]

Okay here are the pics.





Can you see them?

Yes, I'm sure I want to do this. I'm not one to back down on projects. I've learned to improvise. haha

-Seth

[the1much]

lay ya barrels down,,,,now lay that beamy thingymajig across the top,,,,,,why dont you just build a wooden porch (floor) and lay the "floor" (studs down) on top of the barrels,,then tie the barrels in place.

[the1much]

4 2x4's and a piece of plywood ,,,that way ya floor would be 4" deep,,,stick ya barrels under,,,drill a few holes for rope to go through ya floor, and around ya barrels.

[the1much]

you gonna use that headboard in the background for a front bumper?