How come you can't buy a folding trailerable pontoon barge?

Pontoon Barge/Boat

I’m one of a dozen retired guys living in the north (Issan) of Thailand. We share one major problem-there are no boat trailers here… yes down south, but not in Issan. This year we are building three pontoons (9’, 13’ and 17’ 6”), all with a ‘take-apart’ nesting/ modular design. Basically these toons will be our prototypes for the major build in 2016 of a 23’-25’ Tri Toon. This toon will also be modular with the design objective of completely fitting into the back of a pick-up/ute. As we get into the first build, we’ll put up a series of YT Videos for those interested. We get some decent (2’) white tops on the lakes here, so another design objective (more like imperative) is that all toons will have a semi-planing bow streaming to the traditional toon hull. To our knowledge, there are no plans available to DIY this type of toon. All builds will use the S & G construction method. Wish us well folks….

 

Hi Ajarn101

Yes trailers are next to none in Thailand and can see why you are building a pontoon to go on the back of a utility.
I live Nong Bua Lam Phu Province near Mahasarakham Province and wonder what your district is.
It sounds like a great project.

I have attached an example of a 6. X 3. X .500 Myark folding trailer barge that was folded to fit on the back of a Toyota Utility, but also had plug in wheels to be towed if wanted.

It was made for Italian volunteers who helped poor people in Senegal during their Christmas holidays that was a river island in the jungle which I built this pontoon at no cost including shipping from New Zealand.

I would not make that design again because of the man hours involved, also there are simpler cost effective designs.

What are you building the pontoons for, is it aluminium or plastic rotor mold ?



Attached are some photos of the Myark folding trailer barge in trailer form in NZ and used in Africa.

This is a You Tube video I made some 18 years ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDfSuAtiVkQ

 

Pontoon Build #1

Thanks for all the great photos. All toons will be made from 6mm Grade A Thai Hardwood Plywood, the glassed inside and out. Because we’d like the toons to be easily replicated, we are only constructing them from materials readily available at either of the two hardware chains in Thailand-Global House and Thai Watsadu. I'll keep you posted.... Doug

 

All they need to do now is make the pontoon fold similar to the Myark amphibious trailer barge.
Has any one seen a folding trailer barge besides Myarks that are towed with a RV camper van and the RV is driven on top ?
I have a design that folds up so it can be not only wide but also folds out to be 60' long and legally towed on road.


http://www.rollerboat.com/how-it-works/#driving


How the Hull is Built

The hull is built in-house by Destination Yachts and carries a 5 year warranty.

Each side and every 5 feet of hull has an air tight compartment. This leaves the center open for the drive rollers and extra storage and it also avoids potential disadvantages associated with some full hull boats. During construction, each air tight compartment is pressure tested, as pressure is applied, all welds are soap tested, looking for any possible defect.

The center of the deck is reinforced from the bow back to the rollers to support the heaviest of motor homes. Ballast tanks are built into each corner to allow the boat to take on weight (water) allowing the boat to compensate for the uneven loads.


How the Steering System Works

The fly-by-wire steering system is an electric controlled hydraulic power steering system. The controller will be permanently mounted on a disk which can be moved from RV to RV and temporarily attached to the RV steering wheel. It will be connected to the 12 volt boat power supply by cable.

When the system is powered up, the driver can turn the knob atop the controller either left or right. This action activates a motor which drives a hydraulic pump. There is a steering cylinder attached to the stern drive at the transom. Depending on which way the knob was turned, the cylinder rod will either extend or retract, turning the stern drive either left or right. Moving the knob to the center detent will return to straight forward.


How the Drive Train Works

The drive train consists of a pair of rollers for the left and the right motor home drive wheels. The rear rollers are the power rollers and the forward are the idler rollers, used only to keep the motor home cradled. Power is transferred from the motor home to the power rollers, then through a differential and out to a driveshaft connected to the stern drive . Whatever control put into the motor home, (accelerator, forward and reverse), is transferred directly to the stern drive. Reverse is also the brake. Steering is accomplished through a separate electric system.


How the Rollerboat is Loaded

Loading the motor home onto the Rollerboat is simple and safe. To do this, the bow is secured against the cement boat launch ramp with mooring lines, a small portable loading ramp is attached to the bow and then the motor home is backed on and into place. Guide rails, similar to those used at car washes, are installed on the deck to insure proper placement of the rear wheels. The ramp is removed, the mooring lines are untied and Rollerboat is ready to cruise.


Driving the Rollerboat

There is very little difference between land and water driving. Forward and reverse are the same as is the accelerator. Steering and braking are the main differences between land and water, that and the fact it is so much more relaxing. There are no traffic lights, no hills to climb, no traffic cops, just you, your good company and the quiet waters.

 

Looking forward to seeing the build and test videos doug. I like your idea of a trailable barge concept. Your better off to sheath with epoxy. Fibre glass resins are not much good on plywood.

 

Thanks

Hi Brendan, yes I agree that epoxy is the way to go... however, I need to be able to find a reliable supplier in Bangkok. The tough part for any DIY project in Asia is being able to consistently source materials. The first build is set for the middle of February... I'll post as we go along. Cheers, Doug.

 

The first craft is designed to fit into a 'Thai' side-car... dont laugh too much... this one didn't get away...

 

I made a tow bar for my bike to suit a small Myark trailer barge that has the draw bar swivelling, meaning you can drop the bike on the ground and no damage is done and great for leaning into the corners.
The trailer is made to take a 750kg load and the titanium torsions suspension and wheels float off when in water.

 

Fan-Bloody-Tastic… Necessity truly is the Mother of invention.

 

Yes I have to admit thats a good one. But how does the motorcycle clutch handle it if you load it up. I think the pontoon idea is better for fishing and moving around. A box trailer might be a bit inefficient.

 

Thanks

Thanks Brendan, the 'Toon' will weigh-in @ around 85 kilo + another 25kg for electric outboard and battery. Thats no problem for 150cc bike. These photos are of a Jemcraft Toon design, but mine can be broken down into 2 sections as shon in the photo.

 

Epoxy

Hi Brendan, just to follow-up on the fiber glassing question; after reading the ‘Bible’ (The Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction) and watching
Sam Devlin - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wuoy1dGOxFI
I’ve decided to go with the same build method (Stitch & Glue) as Sam Devlin uses. The YT video is just about the best I’ve seen on the topic for a DIY build. Regards, Doug
P.S
This thread is very useful - http://backyardboatbuilding.org.uk/forums/archive/index.php/t-569.html

 

Excellent. You can get a lot of help and info on stitch and glue here. It is a popular method amongst the boat design subscribers. I have only built one small dinghy that way but I was impressed at how light and strong it turned out, even with my dodgy skills.

 

If this 1970's pontoon was amphibious and weighed 1600 kg like the Myark folding trailer barge I am sure the market was possible because there would be a selection of rivers, sea shores and lakes for the RV to be hired instead of stuck in one place also normally lakes and rivers do not allow moorings which the Myarks can be easily folded and stored on land in minimum space.
I still cannot find a self trailer folding barge with a camper van towing any where internationally.



During the 1970's, they offered this at several inland lakes in FL, GA, NC AR, AZ & CA.

From their brochure: "The CAMP-A-FLOAT Cruiser is a 5-ton boat specifically designed to accommodate recreation vehicles on board, up to 31 feet in length and weighing no more than 9,000 lbs, for conversion to houseboat status. The CAMP-A-FLOAT Crusier is built on twin steel pontoons providing a total displacement of 30,000 lbs. Each 40 foot long pontoon is made from 8 individual sections welded together with addtional bow reinforcement using steel plates and rods. The twin pontoons are connected by 30 steel beams which also support the 38 by 12 foot, 1' thick vinyl clad deck. This are is totally enclosed by 100 feet of safety rails and gates, 28" high. The CAMP-A-FLOAT Cruiser has a 100 gallon sewer tank under the deck and 100 gallon fresh water with a pump to supply water on demand. With your RV connect to the Cruisers services you can CAMP-A-FLOAT without interruption or frequent service stops. The CAMP-A-FLOAT Cruiser is powered by an outboard marine engine which is controlled from a helm stand in the forward corner through rack and pinion steering and a combination throttle and shift lever. With 40 gallons of onboard gasoline you can cruise for up to 20 hours at speeds to 12 miles per hour."

Other tidbits: Powered by 65hp Evinrudes, loading/rigging was done on shore via marine railway & cradle, weight,
balance & trim by installing sand in selected pontoon compartments, 1970's cost: $40/day, $250/wk + fuel.

 

Popular Science March 1978 Camp-A-Float, compared to a Myark folding trailer barge that can float up to 12 tonne and float in shallow water.