Advice on Raft/barge/ferry from lumberyard material for occasional 6 mile trip

Ok, I saw all that but now know where, thank you.

Can the town folk pitch-in on a barge, I guess not.

So, what to do.

 

This is the kind of setup Ive seen here a couple of times. I would want to cover the deck so its flat so its easy to walk on. So rather than just a few cross members I'd make them solid front to back. I could pay locals to provide rough cut slabs from the lumber mill. Cheaper than 2x12s from Lowes. Its pushed by one of the larger boats with larger engines.

Yes I could get the locals to help but I wouldn't ask them to do it for free. I'm the city manager so I could hire the work team and have them build it using city funds. Or I can build it with my money and rent it to the city or tribe or residents. Pros and Cons to both options. Some are, if its mine I can park it in front of my house and put my lawn chairs on it and use it whenever I want. A perk being I can have additional income renting it out. I'd be willing to spend $5000 to have that. There are a dozen more pros and cons.

Someone mentioned protecting it. Are they talking about Thompsons Water Seal or what?

 

Your SOR in your original post is hugely lacking.
It is not a SOR.
Nor did you know what one is when Gonzo mentioned it.
Are you unwilling to research it?
Maybe consider hiring a local Naval or Marine Engineer.
They are going to tell you to buy a landing barge,
that $5000 isn't going to meet what you need.

Sorry I couldn't have been more helpful.
Good luck.

 

Like I said, Ive appreciated your responses and didn't mean to push you away, just wanted to let you know what my limitations are. There are already solutions in place, they just aren't cheap or on my timetable. So I'm researching to see if there is a feasible option. Spending $100,000 on a landing barge is way more expensive than simply using the barge service already in place. I'm not unwilling to research it. Ive got a couple hundred hours invested in research over the last three years. There are no Naval or Marine Engineers within 1000 miles of this place nor would they be in my budget.
My background is banking and finance with a good bit of construction experience so SOR isn't part of my vocabulary.

 

If you can haul lumber from Lowes, you can haul steel to the location too. I assume you have a generator, so a welder can be used anywhere. The SOR will define you needs. You are starting with constraints instead, which limits your possibilities. Building a barge with Lowes lumber and plastic barrels is a recipe for disaster. They work fine as floating docks or swim platforms, but will not withstand rough service. A steel barge is simply a box, which any mid-level welder build.

 

Does Lowes sell steel?

Randall, it's fine that you don't know all the terms. And some members are less patient with beginners than others. We get burned out. There are regularly folks on the forum who want water to run up hill, and get angry and abusive when someone bluntly tells them it can't.

But don't get burned out either. I have no doubt you can get there for 5000 bux, if you do a ton of work yourself.
Gather a heap of good logs.
Get a design worked out, that capitalizes the free wood advantage. We can help, grumping is a free part of the service.
Arrange for the sawmill. Get a mountain of cut lumber.
Your 5000 is for the sawmill, and glue, screws, and the like.
And build it yourself evenings and weekends.

 

More importantly, does the Lowes near Tanana, AK sell steel and what do they have in stock.
John, you'd be a great candidate to fly up and build this barge.
Is your offer a serious one and do you really think you can build within the $5000 US budget?
Will it be insurable? Likely an unmentioned requirement.
That would be part of the SOR, no?

 

Geez, what is the obsession with Lowes? Any steel supplier will ship to the Lowes parking lot.

 

Gonzo,

This area is more remote than you may be able to imagine.
The obsession with Lowes is that is all that is available to Randall.
Do you really not understand this?

 

Try contacting these folk and ask them for some prices of their steel products?
Alaska Steel Co — Supplying Metals in Alaska https://alaskasteel.com/
I am thinking 3 mm / 1/8" plate for the rectangular box shaped hull (you could add some rake on the bow and stern) and some bulkheads, maybe 4 mm / 3/16" for the deck (a bit heavier re the weight of the vehicle), and a load of 4" x 2" x 1/8" angle bar for framing?

 

No I don't. If he can get to a Lowe's store, he can get to a delivery spot for steel or any other material.

 

Yes, if you build double planked with green lumber. PL Premium is only an adhesive, and while you can thicken it with fillers and make a waterproofing coat it always cures hard. Green wood will move, especially in that extreme climate, so the sealant needs to be flexible. 5200 is first and foremost a sealant, the glueing part is secondary, the strenght comes from mechanical fasteners. Think of it as liquid rubber that also glues.

 

He wants to take advantage of Lowes regular shipping. Shipping costs are prohibitive to him. But you may be right. Steel deliver may be able to piggyback on Lowes regular bulk deliveries.

 

Realities of living in the 21st century. The boat designer can sip cocktails on a tropical island, as long as you both have internet and online banking you can hire him.
Realities of living in a remote place: the people obviously have enough money to live there, otherwise there would be no bush pilots, regular barges, internet, ATV's, etc.
Facts of life: you have the same chances to design a barge successfully as carpenter has at running an investment fond.

Your need to decide what you want, a boat for a 5000lbs trailer is different from one for a 10 000lbs tractor. If you don't want to pay a designer your only chance is to use a design that is already in the public domain, like the landing craft designs from WW2.

 

The only Lowe's close to the Yukon river is in Fairbanks by the Tanana river. It is a city with 32,000 people. I can't see it as a completely remote area where deliveries are not possible.