How to Build a Lifesaver

In a boating accident or emergency, a lifesaver can be just that -- the one irreplaceable item at an undeniable moment. Lifesavers have been around since man first ventured out onto the water. They come in all shapes and sizes, from the exotic and expensive to the minimal and gaudy. Most designs, however, have several important characteristics: unsinkable flotation and a graspable safety line. Making a homemade lifesaver is a worthwhile project for years of service.

Things You'll Need

  • 36-inch vinyl-covered marine fabric
  • Tape measure
  • String
  • Cardboard
  • Permanent marker
  • Scissors
  • Sewing machine
  • Utility knife
  • Carpenter's spring clamps
  • Canned closed-cell polyurethane spray foam
  • 3/4-inch-by-8-foot nylon rope
  • 1 1/2-inch band clamp
  • Screwdriver
  • 1-by-72-inch nylon web strap
  • Nylon-to-nylon epoxy resin
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Instructions

    • 1

      Measure and mark a spot on a length of string at 30 inches and 15 inches.

    • 2

      Tie a loop in the end of the string and slide a permanent marker through the loop. Mark a spot in the center of a three-foot square piece of cardboard. Hold the string at the 30-inch mark, place it at the center mark on the cardboard and draw a 30-inch diameter circle. Repeat the process holding the string at the 15-inch spot to draw a 15-inch diameter circle inside of and concentric with the line of the larger circle.

    • 3

      Cut out the 30-inch circle, then cut the 15-inch circle from the 30-inch circle and discard it.

    • 4

      Lay the 30-inch disc of cardboard on piece of vinyl-covered marine fabric and trace the outline of the outer and inner circles with a marker. Cut a donut-shaped disc of fabric, cutting along both lines. Repeat the process to measure and cut a second, identical disc.

    • 5

      Overlay the two pieces of material on one another, sew them together using a sewing machine equipped with a needle, and thread suitable for denim fabric. Make the stitch on both seams at 1/2-inch in from the edge.

    • 6

      Use a sharp knife to cut two 1/2-inch holes in the fabric donut -- on opposite side across the diameter of the piece.

    • 7

      Place a spring clamp over and around one of the holes. Insert the nozzle of the canned spray foam into the other hole and fill the donut to a point obviously more than half full.

    • 8

      Remove the nozzle and clamp that hole in the fabric donut. Rotate the donut, remove the other clamp and insert the nozzle of the spray foam can and complete filling the donut. Clamp both holes securely and allow the foam to set for 24 hours.

    • 9

      Measure and use a utility knife to cut a 96-inch length of nylon rope. Measure and cut four 18-inch pieces of 1-inch nylon web strap. Lay the lifesaver on a flat surface and wrap the 96-inch nylon rope around the outside surface of the lifesaver. Slip a 1 1/2-inch band clamp over one end of the nylon rope. Wet the ends of the nylon rope with nylon-to-nylon epoxy resin, overlap their ends by 2 inches and press them together. Slide the band clamp over the glued joint in the nylon rope and screw it tight.

    • 10

      Position the nylon rope so that its oversize length is proportionately distributed around the lifesaver. Wet one side of one of the 18-inch nylon straps with nylon-to-nylon epoxy. Wrap it around the lifesaver and the nylon rope, and overlap its end onto its other end, pulling it tight. Repeat this process so that the nylon rope is attached to and around the outside surface of the lifesaver at four opposing and equidistant points around the lifesaver.