BoatBanter.com - Re Wooden Raft Construction

(Luke B.) wrote in message . com...
I am currently planning to construct a wooden raft and taking a raft
trip on it. I wanted to just use about 12 logs to obtain all the
needed buoyancy for my comrade and myself and all of our gear, but I
figured that I might need to get some extra buoyancy so I was prepared
to use some 55 gallon drums if I had to. If anyone has any suggestions
about constriction of the raft or about the logistics of sailing for a
few days down the river I would greatly appreciate it.
It sounds like fun and something to always remember.It also
sounds like it would be illegal on a "navigatable waterway" as a
hazard to navigation or yourself.It is handy to both parties if you
can manuever yourself out of the way of a tow of barges as they can't
stop or turn quickly.Ask the DNR or Coast Guard or whoever regulates
the river you want to run.You might need to mount a small
outboard(borrow one).You might need to register the 'craft'.
I was thinking
of building a shelter out of two by fours and a tarp to sleep under.
You could use a tent,useing nails instead of ground spikes.
I
would appreciate any advice on how to steer it, on how to propel it,
They used to float log rafts to the sawmills around here.There
were long oars on both ends that 'propelled' the raft sideways to keep
it in the center of the river where the current was,which was what
'propelled' them down river.
on how to make or find a battery powered anchor light,
Walmart has battery powered navigation lights.
and how to go
about providing a waste management system for a non-discharge lake.
Bring a shovel or line a 5 gal. bucket with plastic bags and
leave as a surprise in trashcans or dumpsters.One other thing to
consider is disposing of the raft at the end of your trip as it's a
one way vehicle.To leave a pile of logs and 55 gal. barrels on the
river bank seems rude and shiftless and I suspect they would end up
drifting down the river as a nav. hazard,in which case being drawn and
quartered sounds like a good punishment.Good luck!Send some postcards!
Thank you so much!