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Careful if you take it out on public water. If your county/state is anything like mine, LE is looking for any unregistered watercraft thry can slap a fine on, and aren't above fining for something like this (because it has a motor,.in my state would need registered).
Yup - $10,000 fine in my state for a first offence. You don't want to know the fine for a repeat offence... Hate to be a party pooper.
Also if someone drowns, and the vessel isn't up to code, it's manslaughter.
I’ve loved the concept since the first time I saw one of these. The main thing that kept me from building one when I was younger was the lack of a hitch and a trailer. Did you just move it on a flatbed trailer and carry it into the water? How far below the seats was the waterline? Do you have to be overly cautious about weight distribution? Can people easily hop on and off of it while it’s in the water?
Had 2 people 260+ lbs and 2 200lbs people and the barrels were barely 1/2 submerged, far more stable than I anticipated. Flatbed tilt deck trailer to move it. Weight distribution didn’t seem to be any issue, people were hoping on and off all day!
1l of air will carry 1kg while fully submerged.
50gal are 190l
190l are 190 kg "floating power"
190kg are 418lbs
But that's more of an emergency feature, more then 1/3 submerged into water is not optimal.
So, 130lbs per 50gal Barrel.
Take my award! Because you didn’t eat your words and really had your virgin voyage in real water, albeit a week later than promised. Anyway, congrats, and have fun! Lol
No problem with ballast at all, honestly me and my buddy (the other heaviest) were on one side at a time and the thing was unbelievably stable still, taken back by how stout it was
Needed some sort of a back rest, needed a foot rest (feet getting drug in the water for hours sounds great, but in practice it’s only fun in short doses). Other than that, mechanically it was perfect
That totally makes sense. Looking at it I kinda figured it was out of reach. Still, I feel like it would very much be on my mind if I was sitting in the closest seat. Great build though. Hopefully the body of water you're on is safe from cops that might site this as unregistered or something shitty like that as others have commented.
I was thinking the same, this is a very secluded river as far as access, they seem to stay away, lots of hidden logs so a boat with a larger draft isn’t very good out there. Appreciate Reddit looking out for our safety
This is a reminder to those commenting on this post (not the person that posted it): Comments not related to woodworking will be removed. Violations to rule 1 including crude jokes, innuendo, sexist remarks, politics, or hate speech may result in an immediate ban *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/woodworking) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’m afraid of falling in and meeting the propeller.
Could you cage the prop?
The troll motor won’t do a ton of damage. I know from experience. The other motor I’m not sure about
Careful if you take it out on public water. If your county/state is anything like mine, LE is looking for any unregistered watercraft thry can slap a fine on, and aren't above fining for something like this (because it has a motor,.in my state would need registered).
Yup - $10,000 fine in my state for a first offence. You don't want to know the fine for a repeat offence... Hate to be a party pooper. Also if someone drowns, and the vessel isn't up to code, it's manslaughter.
This is the unfortunate truth for a lot of waters
Still no floating grill
Man, I’d get my MiniMax Big Green Egg on that thing and float around eating pulled pork sandwiches for the rest of my life…
Turn the middle of the lake into a Waterworld settlement
Fuckin right on, boys.
I’ve loved the concept since the first time I saw one of these. The main thing that kept me from building one when I was younger was the lack of a hitch and a trailer. Did you just move it on a flatbed trailer and carry it into the water? How far below the seats was the waterline? Do you have to be overly cautious about weight distribution? Can people easily hop on and off of it while it’s in the water?
Had 2 people 260+ lbs and 2 200lbs people and the barrels were barely 1/2 submerged, far more stable than I anticipated. Flatbed tilt deck trailer to move it. Weight distribution didn’t seem to be any issue, people were hoping on and off all day!
Those 50 gallon drums will hold a lot of weight
If the internet is to be believed, each one will hold 440lbs out of the water before it submerges
1l of air will carry 1kg while fully submerged. 50gal are 190l 190l are 190 kg "floating power" 190kg are 418lbs But that's more of an emergency feature, more then 1/3 submerged into water is not optimal. So, 130lbs per 50gal Barrel.
Take my award! Because you didn’t eat your words and really had your virgin voyage in real water, albeit a week later than promised. Anyway, congrats, and have fun! Lol
And if the trolling motor gives out, you and the boys can take turns holding the umbrella sideways like a sail. Brilliant.
How did it go? Since you posted it obviously didn't go Titanic on you lol.
Really well, nose cones were a must. Went pretty fast for what it is. Over all, 8/10 for living up to my expectations
Did you have center ballast, other wise weight distribution on the ends must have been a pain.
No problem with ballast at all, honestly me and my buddy (the other heaviest) were on one side at a time and the thing was unbelievably stable still, taken back by how stout it was
What would you say were the aspects that made it an 8 and not a 10? VERY much considering making one of these
Needed some sort of a back rest, needed a foot rest (feet getting drug in the water for hours sounds great, but in practice it’s only fun in short doses). Other than that, mechanically it was perfect
Gotcha. Yeah back and foot rests are good points. Man, amazing work! What speeds were you able to get this thing up to?
I’d say maybe 3-5 mph tops, but there was a lot of drag with the no foot rests and all, and with the cooler in the water in the front
No pictures from under the water so thats good
Marine grade stain?
It seems the boat is not stained. I guess as it’s not a permanent dwelling, so probably ok for few voyages a year.
My asking is a compliment. I could see it being an annual family~friend picnic~poker game or something.
That's awesome. The brain power on this is next level. You might be a descendant of the Wrights my friend. Pure genius!
This is a deadly little unit. Have you named this sweet vessel?
The “river rat”
This is dope as hell
r/usernamechecksout
Well done and happy birthday!!!
Don't forget the beer... And ketchup!
I would absolutely go with you guys and bring a 12...
LMAO, sweet vessel Captain. How many hours and how much money invested, not including beer drank during the build?
Probably 10 hrs total and 250$ to create. Had both motors, battery and some of the wood already.
Awesome! May your bung holes stay above the waterline and and the wind at your back...
Not wide enough. Needs pontoons.
I think it has pontoons hence being a “pontoon boat” do you mean outriggers?
Yes. It needs flotation about 3 times wider than it is tall
The location of a dangling foot while sitting vs prop location is... interesting. Edit - But I love the general idea and execution otherwise.
This has been brought up a lot. As a guy who is 6’6”, I can honestly say I cannot get into a position where my feet can get close to the props
That totally makes sense. Looking at it I kinda figured it was out of reach. Still, I feel like it would very much be on my mind if I was sitting in the closest seat. Great build though. Hopefully the body of water you're on is safe from cops that might site this as unregistered or something shitty like that as others have commented.
I was thinking the same, this is a very secluded river as far as access, they seem to stay away, lots of hidden logs so a boat with a larger draft isn’t very good out there. Appreciate Reddit looking out for our safety