Homemade Swim Rafts

The swimming experience in a lake at the cottage just isn't complete without a rope swing to propel yourself off a cliff and a raft to take to the center of the lake for jumping and diving off. If you don't have a cliff high enough to install a swing, you can still have hours of fun with a homemade swim raft. These rafts can vary greatly in size, style and function, but at their most basic, they are floating rafts from which to dive and jump.

Things You'll Need

  • 4 8-foot-long 4-by-4s
  • Cordless drill
  • Screws
  • 24 8-foot-long 2-by-4s
  • Astroturf
  • Glue
  • Eyehook
  • Waterproof caulking
  • Caulking gun
  • Floating barrels
  • Rope
  • Cinder blocks
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Instructions

    • 1

      Build a square out of the four 4-by-4s by attaching their ends with long screws. A regular drill will suffice for this job, but if you're doing the work near the water, a cordless drill may be handier. The frame of 4-by-4s will be rickety once you build it, but it will be strengthened in the next step of the project.

    • 2

      Screw each of the 2-by-4s to one side of the frame made of 4-by-4s to build the platform of the swim raft. Push the 2-by-4s together so that there is no gap between them.

    • 3

      Glue Astroturf or a comparable covering material onto the surface of the raft to provide a soft deck area for swimmers. Use waterproof glue.

    • 4

      Screw an eyehook into the center of one of the 4-by-4s.

    • 5

      Glue together as many floating barrels as needed to roughly fit in the frame, which measures nearly 8-by-8 feet. Use waterproof caulking to attach the barrels to each other. Floating barrels are sold in a variety of sizes; it is important to get the right number to fill as much of the frame as possible.

    • 6

      Set the barrel assembly at the edge of the water, and with the help of several assistants, set the raft platform onto the barrels. Its weight will hold the two parts together, so there is no need to attach them with an adhesive.

    • 7

      Push the swim raft out to an area of the lake in which you wish to use it. If you want it to float freely, your project is done. If you wish to install an anchor, thread a rope through several cinder blocks and tie the other end of the rope to the eyehook on the raft. Ensure the rope is long enough that the cinder blocks will sit on the bottom of the lake below the raft.