There’s nothing quite like being out on the water with some good friends and cold drinks. It’s a luxury that many people spend tons of money on. You may think that you need an expensive boat to have a good time, but you’d be wrong.
One group of friends wanted to go out on the water and have some fun in the sun, but needed to stick to a budget. They did things a little bit differently and built their very own pontoon raft using old wooden pallets and plastic barrels for buoyancy. While this isn’t quite a replacement for a real boat, it’s still an awesome project that will ensure some awesome times with friends.
Here’s the beginning of the project – just some 2X4s arranged in a rough outline of the shape of the raft.
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Then they began fitting the wooden pallets together.
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Once the bottom portion of the raft was put together, they used more wood from the pallets to reinforce the raft for sitting and standing.
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Of course, they had to do a couple of tests to make sure the wood was sturdy enough…
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Here’s the pontoon raft all put together, with the plastic barrels placed to make sure the raft remained buoyant and balanced.
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They built it big enough for chairs and a table.
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Another benefit of this raft is that it’s easy to break down and transport.
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Now all they had to do before its maiden voyage was put it back together.
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For extra sunny days, they added a tent for shade.
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Finally, time to celebrate!
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(source Reddit)
Hanging with friends on a pontoon raft sounds like a pretty great way to spend a summer afternoon. This may not be the easiest DIY project, but it’s certainly a lot cheaper than buying a boat. Plus, it looks like a ton of fun.
