Want to buid a pontoon boat,help pls.?

Question

im using a plastic drum about 24" in diameter and about 4ft in height,about 3 pcs of these on each side,what is the best way to connect the 3 pcs plastic drums.

Answer 1

This is a great idea...

     If you want a raft or swim platform... and not really a pontoon "boat"...  

     A "boat" to me, at least in its most primitive definition would be not only something that floats... but also something that floats that you are going to "go some where in"...

And I can tell you for sure, you will have a very hard time getting anywhere in what you describe...

   If however, you are using this on a small pond, or if you just want something that floats, a raft, or platform, or dock, etc...

   Then, I will tell you ... I did this about 50 years ago using steel drums.

What I did was build a "platform" upside down on the ground... I used 1 sheet of 3/4"  4 x 8 plywood and (I forget how many 2' x 4".... but, my floating "dock"... was 4' x 8' in size, and I build a frame with floor joists, nailed my plywood to it, turned it over, and spaced my barrels so that I had them evenly space on the upside down decking... and I used the

2 x 4s" to frame the barrels in place.

As primitive as it was... I used this "dock" to fish off of one of the larger ponds at our farm.  Of course, I painted it with some paint my Dad said I could have... and that was it... Now... the "dock" is gone... but I now have an old family photo album that serves to document 20 years of friends and family fishing off of that "thing"...

If on the other hand... you actually want to build a pontoon boat... I suggest you visit:

> www.glen-L.com <

that have really neat plans and instructions...

I have built one of their pontoon boats, and a houseboat, as well as a couple other of their boats...

they have a nice website with great pictures... ideas... etc.

Happy & Safe Boating.

Answer 2

You would have to build a metal skeleton frame to enclose the drums. Use aluminum, steel will rust.

Answer 3

Plastic drums are NOT good material for pontoons. The force of water resistance will make anything you use to fasten them together pull through the material. You could make a good  floating platform with them but not a boat.

If you can find some steel drums and weld about 6 (3 is not enough) of them together for each side and weld a good nose piece on the front you can make a nice pontoon on them.