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0:00
Welcome to this video woodworking tutorial. This lesson is all about
0:04
building your own swimming raft. Printable plans and instructions are available to download for free at the link in the description box. Be sure to
0:13
watch this video to the end for a full in-depth explanation of the plans and
0:17
how the raft goes together. I'm Steve Maxwell, designer and builder of this
0:22
project, and at first glance you might think I built this raft for my kids, but
0:26
that's not entirely true. We live on an island and we're within walking distance
0:31
of a small lake on this island where the raft is anchored. When it's hot enough to
0:36
make the cicadas sing, plunging off the side of this raft brings back childhood
0:40
memories and cool refreshment all at the same time. I've jumped from a handful of
0:46
traditional swimming rafts over the years and all have had the same problem
0:50
Slippery, sliver-prone wooden deck surfaces. That's why I built this raft using composite deck material for the top. Besides being maintenance-free, it
1:00
offers an excellent grip even under wet bare feet. In fact, this stuff feels
1:06
terrific underfoot. I chose Trex for this project because it's one of the few
1:11
composites that's solid all the way through. Unlike hollow extrusions, solid composites can be routed, fastened, and detailed just like real wood. In my case
1:21
the composite deck sits on top of a frame of pressure-treated construction
1:26
grade 2x12s that surround foam buoyancy billets specifically made for use underneath floating docks. Get ready to build this project by gathering the
1:36
flotation foam you'll need. That's the start. Three standard billets support a
1:42
raft that's about 6x8 feet, big enough for three or four people to use, yet
1:46
small enough to paddle easily back and forth to the shore each spring and fall
1:50
Lay your foam down on a flat surface, measure the exact length of the billets
1:56
then cut 2x12 frame sides and frame dividers one inch longer. Sandwich the
2:04
dividers between the foam with the frame sides along the outside edges, then
2:09
measure the overall length of the arrangement. This figure shows how long
2:14
you need to make the frame ends. Those are the parts that cap the raft and hold
2:19
all the other 2x12s together. So cut the frame ends now to suit. Don't
2:25
necessarily follow the plans for this length, then get ready for assembly. The
2:31
plans show how I, and my kids, notched the 2x4 bottom strapping into the lower
2:37
edges of the frame dividers. Although this is more trouble than simply spiking
2:42
the strapping to the bottom of the frame, it makes for a stronger raft that's
2:46
easier to pull up on the shore in the fall. Before you cut notches, compare the
2:52
widths of the frame sides and the thickness of your foam billets. Some
2:57
brands of billets are so thick that you'll need to use a 1x4 bottom
3:01
strapping instead of 2x4s. Ideally, you want the top surface of the foam to be
3:07
level with the top edges of the wooden frame. Fasten the frame parts together
3:12
using hot dipped galvanized or stainless steel deck screws. Fit the foam in place to make sure each billet goes down far enough to clear the top
3:22
edges of the frame. I had to cut grooves in the bottom of the foam where the
3:26
pieces of strapping run to make this happen for my raft because the foam was
3:30
a little too tall for the 2x12s. Before I go any farther, I just want to explain
3:36
one way to anchor your raft. Any swimming raft requires a lot of weight
3:41
to hold it from drifting, but a mortar filled 20 liter bucket should do the
3:47
trick on most lakes. Set an eye bolt studded with nuts and washers into the
3:53
mortar when it's soft, then let it cure for a few days before putting the anchor
3:58
to use. Aside from a hefty anchor, you need chain. Less than 24 hours after I
4:04
first set our raft afloat for the first time, the 5 8 inch nylon anchor rope came
4:10
untied from the mortar filled bucket at the bottom of the lake, setting the
4:15
raft adrift. Now I know that a chain is essential, not so much for reasons of
4:20
strength, but because the threaded lengths that secure it to the raft and
4:24
anchor won't come undone. When shopping for chain, get enough length to
4:30
accommodate the maximum water depth, plus the maximum swell height on the
4:35
body of water where you are, plus 6 additional feet. Chain with 3 16th inch
4:41
thick links makes sense for this raft. Back now to construction. When the bottom
4:48
strapping is in place, you'll still need to bind the raft together so it'll last
4:53
Regular pounding by waves and wind is hard on any floating structure, but it's
4:57
especially challenging when there's an anchor chain involved. You can't just bolt a piece of chain to the side of the raft and expect it to hold. I found that
5:06
a couple of half inch diameter plated steel threaded rods, coupled together
5:10
proved ideal for holding the raft frame tight, and also provide a place to bolt
5:16
the anchor chain. Drill and install this tie rod in the middle of the raft now
5:22
along the bottom edge, just below the foam. There are two main drawbacks with
5:28
solid composite deck stock. First, it's more expensive than solid wood, and it's
5:33
a lot heavier. To work around the weight problem, I cut the composite ahead of
5:38
time and routed the ends, but didn't install it until I had transported the
5:43
raft frame to the water's edge due to the weight. Once the decking is in place
5:48
the raft will be tough to lift, even with four strong backs on the job. The
5:53
raft will likely find a permanent home in the place wherever you install that
5:57
composite decking. The first year the raft was afloat, it didn't have a ladder
6:02
I wanted to keep the design simple, but complaints from some more senior patrons
6:07
of the raft finally led to a salvaged stainless steel pool ladder. As I
6:13
discovered, installing a ladder solidly isn't as simple as it seems. You need to
6:19
support both the top and bottom end securely. In the end, I locked the top
6:23
ends of the ladder into holes bored in a piece of trex, then used u-bolts to
6:30
secure the bottom end of the ladder to another piece of trex. These top and
6:35
bottom trex pieces were then bolted to the frame's side and deck, creating a
6:41
rock-solid installation. The whole ladder, with its trex pieces, comes off when it's time to pull the raft out for the winter. I could have left the wood
6:50
frame bare, but I opted for a proven outdoor finish. After sanding the outside
6:56
faces of the frame with an 80 grit abrasive, I applied two coats of Seekin's
7:01
Cetol One in the dark oak color to the wood only. It looks great and matches the
7:08
trex perfectly. Thanks for watching. Don't forget to download your free set
7:13
of plans and instructions. The link is in the description box. Like the video if
7:18
you enjoyed it, subscribe, and hit the notifications bell so you know when new
7:23
videos come out. Want more woodworking plan and video tours like this one? Let
7:28
me know in the comments
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