For my girlfriends 3d design class she has to build a raft/boat that can hold one person. it's a race also. it doesn't really have to be a boat or a raft. as long as it can hold one person and win a race. also no sails(I already asked.)

materials:
1 4x8 plywood
2 2x4x8's
duct tape(60 yards)
1 lb. of hardware

So anyone have any ideas. before she told me the guidelines i was thinking of a small catamaran but once she said no sails I couldn't really think of anything.

Is she allowed oars? I would work on getting a good quality set of oars made first, then use whatever was left to make a rough platform to sit on. If it's a race who gives a fuck how comfortable it is.

Oh, and can you quantify what a lb of hardware entails?

I think she can have oars, but she would have to craft them out of them materials given. Hardware I believe would be things like nails and hinges but it can't glue or caulking, or adhesives.

Catamarans don't have to have sails, you know.

I'd do something like this:
http://i33.tinypic.com/2ptrxph.jpg
figure out just how much water she'd need to displace to stay buoyant and use the extra plywood at the bottom corners so you'll have more thickness to fasten the bottom and sides together

Catamarans don't have to have sails, you know.



Ya I know, though I figured after making one she would have many materials left for a propulsion device though she could always lay down and just kick with her feet lol

I'd do something like this:
http://i33.tinypic.com/2ptrxph.jpg


I don't think she'd have enough materials for that design.

how much does your g/f weigh?

I was thinking make it something like 8" tall by 8" wide by 6' long, and using one 2/4 cut in half for the two cross beams, that'd leave you with a 2x4 you could rip down the middle and some plywood to make two oars, plus extra pieces to put along the bottom.

There's a pretty cool boat on the internet that can be built with two sheets, you could probably size it down to a 1 man dinghy.

30 seconds on google found me this.
http://koti.kapsi.fi/hvartial/#XX1

Build a motherfuggin hat boat!

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/7355/rednecklifeboatdr3.jpg
/thread

Thanks for finding that site man, I couldn't think of the address. Bookmarked!

Here's what I was thinking-

http://koti.kapsi.fi/hvartial/oss3/oss3.htm

It'd be better if she could come up with a design herself, but if she's really in a bind I'd recommend copying this design or using it as a base to build something different. I've build a one sheet skiff before, but the plans I used are no longer online. Just search for One Sheet Skiffs on google, there's a whole bunch of projects and people who are devoted to building them.

http://www3.sympatico.ca/herbert.mcleod/skiff.htm

- Tom

Tom Sawyer would know about rafts...

Here's what I would do.

Take the 4' x 8' ply and cut it into:
- one 2' x 6' piece. (bottom)
- two 1' x 6' pieces. (sides)
- one 4' x 2' piece. (end)

Then get one of the 2x4's and cut it in half, then split each half down the center, so you end up with four pieces of wood that are each 2"x 2" x 4'

(you know, metric is much easier to use than imperial)

Then lay the 2x2's on the plywood sides and back and nail them in place as seen in the pic.

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/7606/boatdc0.png

Then nail theback and sides together, and flip it upside down. Then nail the bottom onto the back and sides.

Flip it right side up, and attach the remaining 2x2's across the top of the sides as braces. Then bend the unsecured front part of the bottom ply piece upwards until it meets the top of the sides. Mark out the curve on the side pieces and cut them off, then fix the front section in place with nails.

Use the offcuts from the side pieces and the remaining 2x4 to make a kayak- like paddle. (also seen in pic)

Use a paint scraper or putty knife to wedge duct tape into all the joins, on both sides of the boat (inside and outside...)

That design would have an interior volume of about 10 cubic feet, which equals 280 litres, or more than five hundred pounds capacity.

http://www3.sympatico.ca/herbert.mcleod/skiff.htm

- Tom

I guess they are still online. This is the one I built, it works quite well. Definitely a lot more stable than the "dug".