Building Or acquiring pontoons

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by andy_hm4lilfe, Sep 4, 2008.

  1. andy_hm4lilfe
    Joined: Sep 2008
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    Location: jacksonville, nc

    andy_hm4lilfe wanna-be builder

    I am interested in building a pontoon boat. I am looking for any ideas on where to find used pontoons or any ideas on how to construst my own or materials to build them. Ideas for eastern north carolina would be best but all ideas are welcome
     
  2. blackdaisies
    Joined: Sep 2008
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    Location: Tennessee

    blackdaisies Senior Member

    You can use a sawboad mold and make fiberglass and epoxy pontoons. You can just build them out of wood maybe octoganal shaped long ways with some braces every so many feet inside the pontoon. I read somewhere the only real difference between the pontoon boat and a catamaran is that there were braces inside the pontoon shaped catamaran hulls. I think it's more the distance from the water or both.

    You can research on how to mold them from portland cement and chicken wire or some thick metal grid sheets. It's just like paper mache expect you're using wire and cement. They float and the finished product weighs the same as a wood boat. They have cement canoe races every year made from college engineering students. If you search those you can find out more about how to form with cement. They also use metal staples somehow mixed in with the cement over wiregrid/chickenwire.

    There are tons of free patterns for pontoon boats on the internet. Here's one:

    http://www.svensons.com/boat/

    Their pontoons are just square, so they are for beginners.
     
  3. clmanges
    Joined: Jul 2008
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    Location: Ohio

    clmanges Senior Member

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