PVC Pontoon Boat

This Is a neat little project that I did in my maker lab class, it's a like a boat with no hull, and the only things making it float is those PVC pipes under the chair, it's a rather simple boat and there are no instructions on how to make any sort of paddle or motor, but I'm sure that a shovel will do fine. I made a whole lot of mistakes while making this, but I stated what a decent amount of them were in the instructions, so that you didn't make the same mistakes. I hope you enjoy.

4 5' 4" PVC pipes

4 5' 2x4's

18 5/16" x 2" socket hex-drive sheet metal screws with washer

1 5/16" hex-drive bit

1 run of the mill chair

8 4" PVC pipe caps

4 12 x 3 Philips flat head

Wood sealer, 'Preserva wood'

Hacksaw

classic Handsaw

9/64 drill bit

Drill

2 packets of 3/4 in pipe hanger/plumbers' tape

Fist, you are going to want to saw the top of the chair off with either a classic hand saw or a jig saw or a Sawzall type saw. you can leave a bit of the legs still on the bottom, it won't affect the final product, as long as you don't leave more than ~1.5 inches.

Before you proceed with this step I highly recommend that you paint the 2x4's with the wood preserver now rather than later, painting it with the pipes attached makes it a whole lot more difficult.

you now will attach the pipes to the 2x4's using the pipe hanger. there are a few things you need to make sure of first

*the pipe has to be 3" from the middle of the pipe to the edge of the 2x4(first picture)

*the very tip of the pipe has to be 10" from the edge of the wood(second picture)

*don't drill all the way down, it'll go through the wood

*make sure that the pipe is fastened tightly

*cut the pipe hanger/plumbers tape with the hack saw,(easier if you twist the plumbers tape to the side for cutting)

* don't forget to but the caps on, cement isn't necessary but If you feel unsafe with the air pressure being the only thing holding you up feel free to cement the caps with PVC cement

the other pipe that goes next to the first pipe is about seven inches from the mid point of the first pipe to the midpoint of the second mid point

do the same for the other set of pipes on the other side.

the first 2x4 is 26 inches away(the space in between the two) from the second 2x4,

the second 2x4 is 8.5 inches away(the space in between the two 2x4's) from the third one.

repeat the same process for attaching the pipes together

after you've finished with the strapping of the PVC pipes, you are going to want to flip the boat over and screw the chair onto the two 2x4's that are closer together.

A few things to note:

*Try to make the chair as close to the middle as possible(you don't want the boat to flip over in the water)

*don't forget to use the drill bit before drilling in the 3" wood screws, to avoid stripping the screws

*if you do happen to strip a screw and you can't take it out or push it in, just hacksaw it off, but if you do hack saw it off there should be some sharp metal coming out of the chair, and we can't have that, so what I did was put clay on top of the sharp parts.

*put in at least four screws

If you have yet to paint the 2x4's, you do need to do that, wood doesn't last very long in the water.

things to note:

*make sure to cover as much as you can with the wood preserver

*you need to get the bottom too

*try not to stain your clothes like I did

*don't make the coat too thin

*if you have the patience for it put a second coat once It dries as a precaution

*getting the weird edges under the boat is a bit tricky but cover as much as possible

and after it dries you should be done. use a shovel as a paddle, assuming that you don't want to be stranded in the middle of a lake/river/ocean.

this boat is not guaranteed to float.

But it should.

Update

The boat does float, instead of using a shovel, It would be better to use a long thin piece of wood rather, for the shovel rocks the boat too much and risks flipping the boat over.