How to Build a Raft with Barrels
Because empty barrels float easily, they can be used for small, water-going vessels. If you can find barrels that are waterproof and can be sealed shut, you can use them to construct your own Huck Finn-style raft to travel across a lake or calm stream. The barrels essentially work as pontoons that your raft's wooden frame will rest on, which helps make the raft travel faster.
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Things You'll Need
- Barrels
- Plywood
- 2X4 boards
- Eyebolts
- Bolts
- Drill
- Galvanized cable/wire
- Blocks
Instructions
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1
Take four or six waterproof barrels that are the same size. 33 to 55 gallon drums work best. The barrels can be plastic or steel, unless the steel is too rusty to patch any holes. Plug all holes in the barrels with silicon caulk.
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2
Line a sturdy sheet of plywood on the ground. Line the barrels along the plywood's long sides, two or three on one side. Make sure a barrel is near each corner. You now have two or three "sets" of barrels on opposite ends of the plywood.
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3
Place blocks or wedges up against the barrels to keep them from rolling. Measure the length from one barrel across the plywood to the barrel on the other side.
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4
Cut pieces of 2X4 wood as long as your measured length. You need as many boards as barrels.
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5
Lay two boards across one set of barrels. The boards must be parallel and equidistant from each other and intersect with the plywood. Drill long eyebolts into the wood just outside the barrels. There should be four drilled eyebolts bordering each barrel, with the bolt heads on the underside.
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6
Bolt the plywood on top of the frames constructed with the boards and barrels. Place the plywood in between the barrels on top of the boards and drill the bolts into the boards.
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7
Flip over the completed wood frame and place each barrel in position between its set of bolts. Tie galvanized wire or cable through the eyebolt loops and over the barrels to strap the barrels to the boards. Use clamps or crimps to tighten the cables.
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8
Turn the raft rightside up. If every part is secure, the raft is seaworthy.
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Tips & Warnings
It helps to make the raft so it will fit into any vehicle you have to carry it in. Cut the plywood sheet down to the needed size. Make sure the barrels are securely tied to your raft frame.
