How to Make a Raft

FA Hopkins, 'River Rafting'

Since Huck Finn floated down the Mississippi with Jim, Americans have dreamed of exploring the river by raft. Given the American love of the great outdoors, it's understandable. Rafting is inexpensive, bold and flat out undomesticated. It appeals to the cowboy in us all. And there's no denying the satisfaction a person gets from building her own floating transport. To construct a log raft to use at home, on the lake or as part of your own great wilderness adventure, follow the steps below.

Things You'll Need

• 10 logs, 12 inches in diameter, 11 feet long
• 4 logs, 10 inches in diameter, 7 feet long
• Measuring tape
• Wood file or rasp
• Wood carving knife
• Heavy rope or twine, 100 feet
• Galvanized nails or wood screws, 2 inches long
• 6 sheets of Styrofoam, 24 inches wide by 56 inches long, 1-inch thick
• 5 wooden slats, 10 feet long
• Wood varnish

Instructions

1. Collect your logs. Explore a wooded area near a river, looking for fallen trees. The best choices for raft building are spruce, poplar or cottonwood. To construct a full size raft, you'll need 10 logs that are approximately 12 inches in diameter and 11 feet in length and four logs approximately 10 inches in diameter, 7 feet in length. If you cannot find fallen trees of an appropriate length, you'll have to cut them down.

2. Measure and mark a distance of 10 feet. Place one short log at each end of this mark. When the longer logs are placed on top of these, they will overhang a bit. These will be the below deck, supporting structures for the front and back of your raft.

3. Shave the tops off the supporting logs, creating a flat surface for the larger logs to rest on. Or, if you're handy with a knife, whittle them.

4. Place the longer logs on top of the support logs, arranging them in the opposite direction, so the larger logs are perpendicular to the short ones. If you find the logs are too loose, or rolling about too much, file them down a bit so they sit flatly on top of the support logs.

5. Shave the tops off the remaining short logs and place them, flat side down, on top of the larger logs, directly above the support logs. This will trap the large deck logs between the short support logs.

6. Tie the short support logs to each other to hold them tightly together. Once the support logs have been joined, lash the deck logs to the support logs, crisscrossing the rope as you wrap it around each log. Pull it tightly between to stop the logs from moving around.

7. Flip your raft over.

8. Place the sheets of Styrofoam between the support logs. Position the five wooden slats evenly over the Styrofoam sheets and nail them to the support logs to hold the Styrofoam in place.

9. Cover the raft, including the Styrofoam, with three to five layers of varnish. Allow the raft to dry completely between layers.

Tips & Warnings

• Build the raft near the water, if possible, as it will be bulky and difficult to transport.

• Rafts can be difficult to steer and control. So, when taking it out on the water, bring paddles and barge poles (if possible) or stay close to the shore line. When using your raft, wear a life preserver or pack one on board.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Log Raft Building Workshop
• Log Raft Adventure Tour