the raft so far...

Tar

Where i live tar is banned for ecological reasons, it would also mess up the cherry flavoured pickerel taste.

 

Yes it would be more like a smoked flavour.

 

Can you tell more about why it is banned?

 

Tar

from: http://www.nature.nps.gov/hazardssafety/toxic/coaltar.pdf

 

maybe you could get offcuts of wood or plywood,i got some first from B&Q for 50p (about $1) a plank but i found out i can get offcuts of ply free (this is in England,north tyneside,north shields) from the local woodyard.

 

if there iron,they rust,if they dont have a moderate-strong content of iron they wont.also,the beast idea forthe barrels is to waterproof it or paint it or put something around it (if possible).

 

My grandfather swears by Thompson's WaterSeal.... we've used this stuff on docks and rafts for almost 30 years, and haven't replaced many treated boards. Repairs to properly treated wood rafts and docks around here are usually due more to ice and winter heaving, than to deterioration of the wood.

 

is it just like a paste or is it harmful,do you need a mask and can it waterproof or is it just a seal?

 

It's a thin clear liquid, just brushes on and soaks in. Read the MSDS of course, but I don't think it's particularly troublesome health-wise compared to many of the alternatives. We use it on docks and decks, not sure how it would hold up on a boat but it's pretty cheap anyway. There are of course several hundred similar products available, many of which are surely just as good or better.