How to Make an Inflatable Raft

Tie inner tubes to a board to make a raft.

Swimming pools, lakes and large ponds are refreshing on a hot summer day, but swimming can be exhausting. For this reason, many people prefer to relax and enjoy a sunny day by floating around on an inflatable raft. Inflatable rafts are commercially available, but you can build your own durable raft out of inner tubes, a piece of board and some common tools.

Things You'll Need

• 3 car inner tubes
• Wooden board a few inches longer than the length of 3 inner tubes
• Handsaw
• Sandpaper
• Pencil
• Drill
• 32-foot nylon rope
• Ruler
• Air pump

Instructions

1. Inflate your inner tubes with an air pump.

2. Saw off the sharp corners of your board. Sand the corners, sides and any other rough areas of the board.

3. Line up and center your three inner tubes on the board. Leave a little bit of space between each inner tube and at each end of the board.

4. Using a ruler, draw lines to show where the inner tubes touch the board. Draw lines inside and outside the inner tubes for a total of four lines per inner tube.

5. Take the inner tubes off the board.

6. Drill two holes on each of the lines you drew. Make each hole the same distance from the edge of the board so that the holes all line up.

7. Sand the holes so that rough edges won't pierce the inner tubes or hurt people using the raft.

8. Place the inner tubes back on the board in their original locations.

9. Thread nylon rope through the holes you drilled, starting at one end of the board at the side opposite the inner tubes. Weave the rope up over each end of the inner tubes and under the board. After each section of inner tube is secured, tie a knot to hold the rope in place. You are now ready to use your inflatable raft.

References

• "The Kids' Summer Handbook"; Ticknor & Fields, New York; Jane Drake and Ann Love; 1994