How to Build a Floating Stage
A floating stage is essentially the same as a floating dock, a floating swimming platform or the floating foundation for a houseboat. The applications are different, but the construction is essentially the same: it's a deck built on lashed-together flotations. Many types of floats are used from styrofoam to logs, but plastics are ideal. Sealed plastic barrels are inorganic materials that will stand up to the harsh aquatic world.
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Things You'll Need
- Plastic flotation barrels
- Pressure treated lumber
- Cedar decking
- Carpenter's tools
- Galvanized hardware
Instructions
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Construct a framework of pressure-treated two-inch by 12-inch lumber for stringers. The frame should have multiple bays. Each bay should be separated by an additional board and the boards should be spaced just far enough apart to set one plastic barrel in, sideways.
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Fasten dividers between the stringers the distance of every two barrels or so. Use galvanized joist hangers and galvanized nails or screws. Make sure the dividers are installed square so the stage remains square and the plastic flotation barrels fit properly and snugly.
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Lay the barrels in the frame bays. Lash the barrels to the framework. If there is a handle on the barrels, you can connect them with cord or lightweight stainless steel cable and hardware.
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Construct a deck with two-inch by six-inch cedar decking, or your choice of weather-resistant decking material. Leave a 1/4-inch gap between deck board for precipitation to drain through. Fasten the the deck board with galvanized deck screws, then seal or treat the decking for additional weather resistance.
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Tips & Warnings
Be especially careful in your wood selection. A marine environment can reveal vulnerabilities in wood species that are generally weather resistant. If it's not a weather-resistant species, it must be pressure treated or sealed -- perhaps both.
Be aware that exposure to light might compromise the plastic due to the UV rays. The outer boards or skirt should block as much of the light as possible.
References
- Photo Credit Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images
