Sometimes just crazy ideas are born in the head. One of these may be a descent along the river on a makeshift raft. You do not need to immediately cast away such thoughts, because they can develop into a wonderful adventure, which can then be remembered all your life. In general, you should seriously think about such an undertaking. But for such a trip you will need at least some swimming means. There is one solution - this is a raft. Many people ask themselves: ““ How to make a raft with your own hands? ”. Thanks to it, you can easily and quickly go down the water. How to make a raft, from what materials - the answers to these and other questions in this article.
What is a raft?
Surely everyone in childhood knew how to make a raft out of paper. It was possible to transport pebbles and figures on it, to organize competitions: who will swim first and so on. But now you can go on a trip along the river yourself, realizing a childhood dream.
A raft is a simple swimming means, thanks to which you can quickly get across to the other side or go downstream. It can be used for various purposes: for survival, entertainment, participation in amateur competitions, in some environmental events. The range of use of the raft is quite large. What is its advantage over the boat? The fact that it is very simple to make, but you get no less pleasure. The raft is lightweight, so it is easier to transport or carry. So, how to make a raft with your own hands?
A bit about materials
How to make a raft when there are no materials? And to create and do not need a lot of things. You need to think: what material is very light, at the same time cheap and widespread? Plastic bottles are perfect for all parameters. They can be found even on the banks of the same river. After the rest there is a lot of garbage that would be useful for such a thing.
To give even greater buoyancy, foam can be used. It is also lightweight and cheap. Surely everyone had boxes from under the TV or refrigerator, in which pieces of foam were littered.
Wood is an excellent raft material. In the old days, when there were no plastic bottles, such a swimming tool was made only from it. But nowadays it is not necessary to make a raft only from wood, if there is a plastic container. The characteristics of this wonderful material will come in handy for the "deck" of the raft itself.
How to make a raft of plastic bottles?
In fact, there is nothing complicated. But before you make a raft, you need to decide how many people will sail on it. This is an important issue. It’s best to go alone, as making a raft for one person is easier than for two. The smaller the swimming means, the stronger and more reliable it will be. Less chance of falling apart.
Getting to work
There are a lot of options for how to make a raft from bottles. Therefore, everyone has the right to modify their design in the way that suits them. The first step is to prepare the materials. We have these plastic bottles. You need to carefully inspect them for holes. They must be intact, otherwise they simply get water. Each plastic bottle should be tightly screwed on with a cap and filled with air. This means that it should not be flattened. The more air in the container, the more floating the raft itself will be. When everything is ready, you can begin to work on creating a swimming facility.
Create a raft
One unit in the construction will be a block of bottles. Make it very simple. You will need four bottles for this. When you connect them together, you get a square. That is what we need. The design of such blocks here will turn out to be very strong and reliable. Most importantly, it is capable of quick repair. If something happens to the unit, it can be easily removed and replaced with a new one. Therefore, such a lightweight circuit is very easy to maintain and operate.
You need to fasten the bottles into the block using waterproof tape. For greater safety, it is best to secure yourself with a rope. The main thing is to twist them tightly so that it is tough, otherwise the block will fall apart again.
Now you need to do just make blocks. How many will be needed depends on the size of the raft and its carrying capacity. But the extra will not be lost. After a sufficient number of blocks will be manufactured, you can proceed to the formation of sections. This is the next stage in the division of the raft. One section consists of several blocks. It is formed along the width of the swimming means. If in width it will be like four blocks, then one section will combine them in itself. Such a division will also facilitate the connection of all elements with each other and the replacement of damaged bottles.
Thus, the blocks are combined into sections, which are then fastened into a raft.
How to make a raft deck?
That located on top can be called a deck. This is an important part on which a person with all his equipment will be. The base consists of two large wooden beams suitable for the length of the raft. Then the transverse boards are attached on top. They can be installed every forty to fifty centimeters. Then, with the help of ropes and scotch tape, you will need to attach part of the bottles to these crossbars. For greater convenience, it is best to put a piece of chipboard or plywood so that it covers the entire area of the raft. Thus, a flat surface was obtained on which it is comfortable to sit. So that everything does not get wet, it is best to cover this leaf with a dense tarpaulin. It will also be good to build yourself something like a hut, so as not to bake in the sun.