How to Build a Pontoon Raft

There are several ways to build a pontoon raft. You can make a raft using recycled 55 gal. drums and a wooden shipping pallet, logs lashed together or PVC piping. All will float and provide you with an enjoyable day on the water, but they can be hard to steer and the drums can puncture causing your raft to lose buoyancy. Marine Styrofoam billets might be a better flotation method because they are lightweight and more buoyant than the plastic barrels or logs. The reduced drag will make your raft easier to move and steer.

Things You'll Need

  • 2 marine Styrofoam billets, 8 feet long by 20 inches wide
  • 6 pressure treated boards, 2 inches by 4 inches by 8 feet by 3/4 inch
  • 2 sheets exterior plywood, 4 feet by 8 feet
  • 6 lag screws, 1/4 inch by 8 inches long
  • 6 metal washers, 4 inches
  • Power drill
  • # 8 Wood screws, 3 inches long
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the two foam billets on the ground. Position them so that the distance from the outside edge of one billet is 8 feet from the outside edge of the other billet.

    • 2

      Place a 2-inch by 4-inch (2x4) board across the top middle and bottom of the foam billets. The boards should be flush with the edge of the billets.

    • 3

      Use a pencil to mark a spot on the 2x4 boards 10 inches back from the edge of the foam billet. Do this on each end of the 2x4 boards to show where to drill the holes for the lag screws.

    • 4

      Use a drill and 3/8 inch bit to drill a hole in each place that you marked. Place each 2x4 back onto the foam billets after drilling.

    • 5

      Put a screwdriver bit into your drill and tighten the chuck to hold it firmly. Slide a washer onto a lag screw and place it into the first hole in one of the boards.

    • 6

      Drive the screw down through the 2x4 and into the foam billet. Repeat with a lag screw and washer in each hole to fasten the boards to the billet securely.

    • 7

      Place the other 2x4 boards lengthwise across the raft frame you just built. Put one flush with each side of the billets and one in the center.

    • 8

      Attach the three 2x4 boards with the drill and 3-inch wood screws. Use two wood screws in each place the boards touch the frame. This will provide a strong platform for the deck of your raft.

    • 9

      Place a 4 feet by 8 feet sheet of plywood lengthwise across the deck frame so that the edges are flush with the foam billets. Attach it to the frame with a drill and 3-inch wood screws and then place the second sheet of plywood onto the raft and attach it with wood screws to finish the raft.