(Ruth Ann) wrote in message . com...
Some more information.

I want this to be a boat (something that has definite sides, as
opposed to a raft that is more flat) that will carry at least one
person (that would be me). I'm thinking something with a vaguely
canoe type shape. Power provided by the occupant via either a canoe
or kayak paddle. I want to build this in my garage and it needs to be
of a size and weight that one person can move it around and transport
it in the bed of a small pick-up truck (I have a Ford Ranger with a
bed that's roughly 4 feet wide and 6 feet long with the tailgate up,
but securing it for transport with the tailgate down shouldn't be too
much of a problem.)

I forsee using this boat in calm water conditions on a still river or
small lake. (Places that are within easy driving distance of
southwest Fort Worth, Texas, if you're familiar with the area.)

What I've figured out so far is that I can secure two bottle together
at the caps by drilling a hole through each cap, bolting the caps
together, screwing the caps back on and sealing them with something
(I'm thinking silicone caulk or possible liquid nails or something).

One of the main things I'm trying to figure out now is how to connect
more than two bottles. I don't see an easy way to connect bottles by
means other than the cap, without compromising the structural
integrity of the bottles.

One of my cubemates suggested cutting off the bottom of some of the
bottles and putting another bottle inside and then gluing (or
caulking) the seams. While this would probably solve the issue of
connecting more bottles end to end, it doesn't help me connect bottles
on the sides (which I will need to do to get more than just a long
string of bottles). So, I'm still thinking about that one. I'm
looking for something a bit more sophisticated and more durable than
duct tape or rubber bands to hold the bottles together.

Also, I don't want something that has a shell and then uses bottles
for floation. I want people to look at this boat and be able to
instantly understand that this is a boat that is completly made out of
two liter bottles (and something that holds them together and
something that seals the bottles).

As it should float very high, would you consider a vessel that was not
necessarily water tight?
Scotty

Use plastic bread bags to weave rope, weave flat mats, and possibly melt
to use as glue.
Use hot wax to glue bottles together or hot glue gun.

Unless this is part of some "management exercise", would it not be simpler to
just buy a roto-moulded kayak?

;-P

Steve

think sausage. stuff the bottles into sausage skins to form the planks.
tie the sausages together at the ends like a reed boat. or lash the
sausages together along their length and to some sort of ribs (eg steam
bent). if you can't find sausage skins make your own out of tough sheet
plastic and double sided carpet tape.

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William R. Watt ) writes:

..if you can't find sausage skins make your own out of tough sheet
plastic and double sided carpet tape.

on second thought, if you're going to use the tape and plastic think
roll-your-own cigarettes. set up a couple of 12 ft boards together in a
"V" cross section, drape the plastic over it, set the bottles end-to-end
in the "V", cut and tape the plastic around the bottles. picky details
left to individual creativity.

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(Backyard Renegade) wrote in message . com...
As it should float very high, would you consider a vessel that was not
necessarily water tight?

I've been thinking about that recently and I've come to the conclusion
that because I want to build a boat out of just 2 liter bottles
connected together in some way, the boat won't be water tight. But,
I'm okay with that.

To answer others questions.
Yes, it would be easier just to buy a premade boat of some sort.
But I don't want to do that.
Here's the thing. I don't really have a big need for a boat. I don't
have a lot of use for a boat. I don't figure I'll use this thing tons
if I ever do get it built and it doesn't fall apart the first time it
gets wet.

So, yes, it is sorta silly to spend the time and the energy to even
try to build a boat like this, even when I have no idea if I'll be
successful. But that's part of the reason why I want to do it. I
like to do things that are a little bit silly and don't seem to have
much of a point sometimes. I don't think that life should always be
about doing things the right way or the easy way or the way that makes
sense.

Thank you to all who have made suggestions of different ways to go
about this project. You've helped me to look at some things in
different ways.
Please keep the ideas and suggestions coming.

Ruth Ann

Ruth Ann says:

snip

To answer others questions.
Yes, it would be easier just to buy a premade boat of some sort.
But I don't want to do that.
Here's the thing. I don't really have a big need for a boat. I don't
have a lot of use for a boat. I don't figure I'll use this thing tons
if I ever do get it built and it doesn't fall apart the first time it
gets wet.

So, yes, it is sorta silly to spend the time and the energy to even
try to build a boat like this, even when I have no idea if I'll be
successful. But that's part of the reason why I want to do it. I
like to do things that are a little bit silly and don't seem to have
much of a point sometimes. I don't think that life should always be
about doing things the right way or the easy way or the way that makes
sense.


Good answer - just trying to find out if you were feeling too broke to fund a
"real" boat (is there such a thing?) or looking for an interesting project.
Good luck with the beast, and let us know how it progresses.


Stephen C. Baker - Yacht Designer
http://members.aol.com/SailDesign/pr...cbweb/home.htm

I have a friend who keeps telling me he keeps 2-3 2 litre soda bottles
in his boat as emergency PFD's. I call them trash that he's too lazy to
throw out. You toss a plastic bottle in the water and they catch you,
you are in deep sh!t. I don't know how someone would react to dozens of
bottles, fearing they'd be abandoned at some point.

Ruth Ann wrote:

I want to build a boat out of two liter soda bottles.
Why? Why not? I can make the time and the space to do it and it's
something I've wanted to do for a while.
I've looked on the web, but haven't found any sites on doing something
like this or any people who have done anything like this.

So, my question, does anyone know of any web sites that talk about
something like this or people who have an idea of how to go about
something like this?
I'm an engineer, so I've got some ideas on how to start, but would
like to see what others have done and have someone to bounce ideas
off.

Thanks
Ruth Ann

On 9 Jan 2004 11:41:53 -0800, (Ruth Ann)
wrote:

I want to build a boat out of two liter soda bottles.
Why? Why not? I can make the time and the space to do it and it's
something I've wanted to do for a while.

Red Green did this on his TV show with duct tape.

- Rick "Simple, elegant, useless" Tyler

A popster above suggested thinking of the bottles as other than a
flotation force.

I agree. What about cutting off the top and bottom, then cutting
down the length to create a plastic rectangle (albeit one that wants
to roll back up!), and use these as a hull material
overlaid/glued/sealed together as one would shingles on a roof. This
could be done over a very light "baidarka"-like frame (see baidarka
articles in WoodenBoat). There have been articles in Mother Earth
news about people that have done this with endless piles of beer cans
to literally shingle a roof with aluminum -- beer cans with ends cut
off and opened up to their rectangular panel.

It may take a lot of beer to actually contemplate such a thing, but
its been done. So why not with plastic for a simple boat. Wow! It
would be equivalent to a glass-bottomed craft for a great underwater
view!

On 9 Jan 2004 11:41:53 -0800, (Ruth Ann)
wrote:

I want to build a boat out of two liter soda bottles.
Why? Why not? I can make the time and the space to do it and it's
something I've wanted to do for a while.
I've looked on the web, but haven't found any sites on doing something
like this or any people who have done anything like this.

So, my question, does anyone know of any web sites that talk about
something like this or people who have an idea of how to go about
something like this?
I'm an engineer, so I've got some ideas on how to start, but would
like to see what others have done and have someone to bounce ideas
off.

Thanks
Ruth Ann