Pontoon boat- barrels?

I am going to attempt to build a 30' pontoon/house boat this summer. I am planning, if it is possible, to use big plastic barrels to make this sucker float. My original plan was to construct a steel frame that would encase the barrels and be the two bases for my deck. What I need help is with a couple things. First how many barrels would i need. I plan to build an enclosed deck, with the top of that deck being a lounge area. I cant imagine this thing being over 1500lbs. also if all of those things are possible- what would be the best engine for this. i dont plan on speeding around- just slowly cruising to a nice cove and relaxing. Finally, how could i steer this thing from the front of the boat? I know there is some way to attach a steering wheel to the engine, many boats do? Thanks for all your suggestions

 

This has been beaten to death, there are lots of other threads on this subject of inexpensive pontoon boats. Why would you want to use plastic barrels? I am not putting you down, but that doesn't sound very "sound". If you want plastic, go to www.plasticpontoon.com, they have some neat stuff, but since you only want a 30 footer, why not buy a pontoon deck boat on ebay or somewhere really cheap, then build whatever you want on the deck. Then you will have a good solid foundation, and the rest of it you can say you built yourself.

 

ok- to do this size of boat it would cost 9,000 for the plastic pontoon - ummm i dont really consider that cheap, idiot- so how about you dont bag on my plans- im gonna build this mofo and then rub it in your face

 

How about he wasn't baggin' on your plans, he was saying he didn't think your idea was very sound - and he was respectful in the way he said it. So if ya di-int want opinions, why'd ya post here, boyeee?

 

Come. come children - let's play nicely then!!

 

Maybe I was disrespectful, it wouldn't be the first time. Plastic barrels would really complicate the building process, and good ones aren't cheap. One REALLY inexpensive way is to build plywood/fiberglass pontoons. I built pontoons like that a while back for my gold dredge, and it worked really well. Another problem with barrels is that if you get a leak in one, you won't know about it, but it will affect the flotation and performance of your craft; with a single long pontoon you can either put in a bilge pump or fill it with spray foam to displace water. Best of luck!

 

Hey Rookiebtbldr,
I've seen what you're talking about done before (barrels), but it's tough to secure them properly. And to form a bow is even worse.
Kick this around for a minute. I helped a customer from Georgia do a similar project a few years back. His was roughly 10' X 30'. We started with four aluminum pontoons. Two twenty fours, and two twenties. We mounted the twenty fours on the very outside rear of the boat, and the two twenties were mounted just to the inside of the rear logs and ran up to the front. We used aluminum extrusions ("C" & "Z" chanel) of different thickness (depending on location) to form the cross members, and 5/8 bolted plywood deck. This gave us a super stable/rigid platform to build the rest of the boat on. We had a hardtop (10' X 14') on it to sun/party on, but didn't try to enclose the lower section due to weight concerns. We did make soft sides that could be put up in case of a sudden rain, or if you wanted to cruise on colder days.
As far as power and steering goes, we used an old Evenrude 115hp and used Telflex hydraulic steering.
The main mistake most guys make when building a boat is not paying attention to the weight. A boat like this is like an aircraft. You want to build it as light as possible withought compromising strength.
Good luck on your project.
Clint

 

thank you ver much clint- i have one more question- do people have old pontoons that i could repair or is htere any way that i could build my own pontoons

 

Hey rookiebtbldr,
You would be much better off finding a couple of trashed pontoon boats and taking the logs off them than trying to build your own. Thats a very tough and expensive route to take. Just stay away fron any kind of steel pontoons. You'll be chasing rust non stop.
Drop me a line at 618-624-4091 and I'll hook you up with some pontoons if interested.
Best of luck, and remember to KEEP THE WEIGHT DOWN!!
Bye for now,
Clint

 

Hey Rooki,
I don't know if your interested or not, but I have a some good pontoons here of different lenghts. A gentlelman from Colorado bought one from me the other day and he's having a private freight carrier pick it up and bring out west for him. If your still wanting to build your project party boat, nows the time to check with them and split some freight costs.
Like I said, if interested, give me a call (618-624-4091) and I'll go over what sizes I have to offer, and I'll put you two guys in touch to talk about splitting freight.
Clint