Help me build a very small houseboat !

[Dave-Fethiye]

I am also planning on building a camp-out type boat.

The main differenc is that I live by the sea so it will have to cope with waves and winds. I am intending to build raft type design using plastic 500 litre barrels. This is what is used for some of the big platforms down by the dockyard.

If I build it 10m long x 5m wide I think it should be stable enough. Using 20 of the plastic drums - that gives bouyancy of ten tons ! - I will have to add some ballast to make sure it does't get blown away! Probably the ballast can be 3 of the said barrells filled with concrete.

Anyway 10mx5m ( 34ft x 17ft) is big enough for a decent house !
I would put two floors. I will power it with any outboard but will probably tow it to its ancorage site with my boat.

No drawings yet - just ideas ! - but interesting ones

[KnottyBuoyz]

Originally Posted by Dave-Fethiye

Probably the ballast can be 3 of the said barrells filled with concrete.

Hey David

Have you ever seen the ballast bags on a liferaft? They're just the same material as the liferaft, about 2'x'2'x1' and hang below the raft. They've got holes cut in them so that water can get in and provide the ballast. The holes are just the right size to allow water in but restrict it's movement out of the bag. You could do the same thing on a raft with the barrels. Take 4 of them, one on each corner. Install them upright. Drill a dozen 2" holes around the perimeter of the barrel in random places. The barrels will flood when you put the raft in the water and provide your ballast free of charge. The 2" holes will be small enough to restrict the flow of water out of the barrels when it's moving. The benefit is when you drydock the raft the barrels just drain and you don't have to haul a couple tonnes of concrete out of the water.

Same basic principle as a sea anchor or drogue.

FWIW

Rick

[Dave-Fethiye]

Thanks Rick,

Thats great, I was thinking that I would "drop" the ballast in shallow water if I ever needed to haul her out. Then somehow ( ? ) reconnect the ballast after relaunch using a winch - by keeping the ballast under water the loads would not be as great. Anyway seawater makes better ballast !

Also I googled "drogue" and learnt a lot about their use to prevent ocean wave capsizing etc - very interesting.

David.

[Dave-Fethiye]

Hello again,
I thought that you mat be interested in these photos that I took of two floating platforms. One of them uses blue plastic barrels which I intend to use.

The "Blue Barrel" one is about 9m X 4m - I would like to make one that is about 10m x 5m ,

The other platform seems to have a pontoon under it - but I can not tell what its made of.

Maybe this is of some use to Madman's plans - afterall you could put anything on these platforms. but perhaps sailing and sterring them might be difficult!

[Madman]

Thanks Dave, that's just what I'm looking for. Not too expensive or fancy with the barrells. I'd build it about half that size and build the "small camp" on it. Don't really need to steer it because it will never be going very far, thanks.

[boatbuilder.org]

Try this one http://www.devlinboat.com/constructionmilliehill.htm

[thudpucker]

Elswhere in this site is some guys who made a Deck on some large PVC pipes, with some Foam and plywood decking.
The rest would be easy.
You'll have to search for it, as my memory is gone on downriver...

[Dave-Fethiye]

This sounds VERY interesting !
BUT - I have searched but can not find the thread mentioned

Can someone please help to find the thread containing the pipe boat.

[Dave-Fethiye]

I just found several threads by searching "PVC pipe"

So Madman - I suggest you have a look as well for some alternative designs

BTW - have you started (or finished) your raft yet ?
any pictures ?