How to Build a Raft

Remember the ‘lazy, hazy days of summer?’ You can recapture that
feeling while floating downstream or even across the pond on a
homemade raft.

A ‘raft’ can be anything that floats and will hold a person or
two ? an inner tube or air mattress will do. But should you desire
to build an actual wooden raft, or assist a youngster in doing so,
there are many resources available to help you design and build the
perfect adventure craft.

Many DIY rafts are constructed of found materials, such as
dimension lumber or dried logs. Part of the adventure is acquiring
free materials and designing the raft to your own specifications.
Held together by rope or nails and buoyed be a bit of Styrofoam,
your craft can be ready for launching with just a few hours of
work.

Ishmael Wallace and his dad built a

raft using 1-inch-think planks cut 3 feet long. They attached
the planks with 3?-inch spikes to two 3-inch-diameter logs, each 6
feet long. By using more logs and planks, you could make a larger
raft. But remember that once built, the raft has to be moved to the
water, so weight is a consideration.

Remember Gilligan (Bob Denver) on ‘Gilligan’s Island?’ He was
always coming up with a plan for getting the stranded crew off the
island. His

design for a raft could hold, well, the whole crew.

And for a light-weight raft that will keep you high and dry,
check out

this design.