Has anyone built a barge?

Started by North Sask, January 06, 2014, 04:22:45 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

North Sask

Ahoy.

Not sure if any of the members have any experience with building a barge. I hope to be floating my building supplies to the cabin site this summer and this is what I have come up with for a barge.






Will she sink or will she float? In theory, it should support about 2500 lbs (200L * 6 = 1200 L = 1200 kg = 2650 lbs, minus the weight of the barge platform/frame). Not that I plan to put 2500 lbs on it.

I am thinking that 6' x 10 ' should be pretty stable, especially when loaded with building supplies. The round side of the drums will face the direction of travel. I felt this would make the most sense in terms of moving through the water (and not want to make some type of nose cone for the top or bottom of the drum).
It would be greatly appreciated if you stopped by my thread and left your two cents.
Great Northern Saskatchewan Adventure...Round 2

Redoverfarm

Never built one but been on the water a good bit.  6' is a little narrow IMO.  I would probably go 1 extra barrel width to make it more stable.  Unless you just want to use the center 3 feet.  Ever step onto a 6' floating dock.  Little unstable expecially on the edges and that is around 200#.  Now if it had a V-bottom and bow it might be ok. ???


akwoodchuck

Looks pretty good....might consider filling those drums with foam, and adding a couple skegs, for beaching and whatnot.
"The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne."

JRR

About the towing lines ... I would recommend crossing them.

davestreck

#4
We have to bring all our building materials and gear by water as well. At the start of the project, I tossed around the idea of building a barge too, but ended up deciding that simply making more trips with the boat was easier and cheaper. We did pay a local fisherman to take a large load of lumber over for us one time, but in hindsight I wish I had saved that money for something else. There is nothing that we used in the construction of our cabin that wouldn't fit in our 13' Whaler.



That being said, a barge like you've drawn would make a sweet floating dock once your cabin is done, which might make the upfront cost more palatable.

I would incorporate some diagonal bracing in the frame to minimize racking; towing in any kind of a sea can seriously torque the structure.

A 4" gap between deck boards seems like a great way to break an ankle. I'd space them no more than 1/2" apart.

Use a towing bridle with a float to keep the towline from wrapping the prop, or better yet tow it on the hip, which also makes beaching it easier. And remember that a large load of lumber can be banded together and floated over on its own bottom.

--
Sláinte...

Dave

"Bíonn caora dhubh ar an tréad is gile"


MountainDon

And here I thought you had changed directions; no cabin but a barge instead. Sort of like Noah.    ;D

The only thing that I wonder about is do the plastic drums have sufficient wall rigidity to not collapse when the barge would be loaded?
Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.

rick91351

Quote from: MountainDon on January 06, 2014, 07:42:07 PM
And here I thought you had changed directions; no cabin but a barge instead. Sort of like Noah.    ;D

The only thing that I wonder about is do the plastic drums have sufficient wall rigidity to not collapse when the barge would be loaded?

The heavy blue drums I have seen from a distance used as such seem to work well.  But seem to be spaced wider like ten foot as John pointed out.  Love the idea of having a floating dock when finished with it.     
Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

North Sask

Thanks for all the feedback.

More questions and some comments:

My plan is to use the barge only for Year 1 construction, then disassemble and incorporate the lumber into the cabin (or use as bracing, etc). I was going to stockpile the drums at the site and use them later to build a dock or for rainwater collection. With that game plan the barge would only see about 8 to 10 trips (I pulled those numbers out of thin air) before dis-assembly. Once I have the cabin shell constructed I could haul loads in over the ice and store the materials inside the cabin (i.e., barge no longer required).

The 2x6 planks at 9.5" OC is not ideal (broken ankle hazard) but I would be loading lumber and sheets of plywood onto it which would create a new surface. I had also considered using 4x8 plywood as the surface, rather than 2x6 planks, and making an 8' x 12' barge. I had certainly thought about re-purposing the barge as a dock once construction was complete. If so, I would build it a bit better and with the long term in mind.

MtnDon, not sure about the rigidity of the drum, but I think I would take a leap of faith.

Redover, I agree that 6' might be narrow. I am already contemplating a design where I would still have 6 drums but they would be arranged in a row of three at the front and three at the back, with 8' separating the drums. The 8' gap would be spanned by joists and the whole thing would be covered by planks. That would result in about 9' x 12' barge.
It would be greatly appreciated if you stopped by my thread and left your two cents.
Great Northern Saskatchewan Adventure...Round 2

North Sask

Quote from: davestreck on January 06, 2014, 05:36:41 PM
There is nothing that we used in the construction of our cabin that wouldn't fit in our 13' Whaler.

Dave, I really enjoyed reading through your thread. In time, I will be able to empathize with your logistical challenges.

Your Boston Whaler seems like a much better vehicle for hauling materials over water than my 12' aluminum fishing boat. I think my cabin will be about double your size, so a lot more loads to haul with a boat that is inferior to your fine vessel.

Quote from: MountainDon on January 06, 2014, 07:42:07 PM
And here I thought you had changed directions; no cabin but a barge instead. Sort of like Noah.    ;D

Don, if I build a big enough barge I can just float a cabin over to the site!
It would be greatly appreciated if you stopped by my thread and left your two cents.
Great Northern Saskatchewan Adventure...Round 2


NM_Shooter

Ditto to what Redover said... I'd want one that was significantly wider for stability.  Get out when there is much chop, and it may want to flip.  That would truly suck.  Put the floatation around the perimeter. 

Anybody have a pontoon boat you could borrow?
"Officium Vacuus Auctorita"

North Sask

#10
NM_Shooter, I have no access to a pontoon boat. That would work very well for hauling. I'm not sure the boat launch would jive with launching a pontoon boat. The launch is basically a narrow sandy opening on a remote northern lake.

Here is version 2 of the barge. I'm not sure what to do for the decking with the 9' x 12' size. I am starting to move away from planks as that would be a lot of extra weight. I opted for plywood in v2 but now I have a 12 inch gap. I wouldn't really want to rip a sheet of plywood to fill the gap if I stick with my plan of dis-assembling the barge and incorporating the materials into the cabin.





The plans are not as well labelled but the features are similar to the earlier design.

I don't see myself going any wider than 9 ft. I will not be hauling loads when the lake is rough. If necessary, I will haul loads at dusk and dawn when the winds are generally low.
It would be greatly appreciated if you stopped by my thread and left your two cents.
Great Northern Saskatchewan Adventure...Round 2

flyingvan

  How do you plan to attach the barrels to the barge?  I have access to 70 gallon plastic drums that I'd like to use to float the docks at the lake, but I'm not sure how to secure them
Find what you love and let it kill you.

NM_Shooter

You know, depending on how much lumber you haul each time, you could probably make do with a smaller barge, but build outriggers with a barrel well out on each side to increase stability. 

I am intrigued by this.... please keep us posted!
"Officium Vacuus Auctorita"

hpinson

Freighter canoe. I saw some amazing loads being hauled on those in the NWT.



North Sask

#14
Quote from: flyingvan on January 07, 2014, 05:21:10 PM
  How do you plan to attach the barrels to the barge?  I have access to 70 gallon plastic drums that I'd like to use to float the docks at the lake, but I'm not sure how to secure them

I'm planning to use a combination of gravity and friction. The wooden superstructure will be somewhat heavy and I will build the frame such that the barrels will fit snug. That is one reason I was thinking of using 2x12 lumber. It will do a good job of "containing" the barrels. If I was going to build a dock, I would attach the barrels. Maybe some galvanized All Round strapping.
It would be greatly appreciated if you stopped by my thread and left your two cents.
Great Northern Saskatchewan Adventure...Round 2

North Sask

Quote from: NM_Shooter on January 07, 2014, 08:04:49 PM
You know, depending on how much lumber you haul each time, you could probably make do with a smaller barge, but build outriggers with a barrel well out on each side to increase stability. 

I am intrigued by this.... please keep us posted!

That is an intriguing idea. I will give it some further thought.

The barge project will be the first actual construction that I will be doing for the cabin. I hope to get started on it in the next few weeks or months if I can get the drums for a good price. I will definitely post pics.
It would be greatly appreciated if you stopped by my thread and left your two cents.
Great Northern Saskatchewan Adventure...Round 2

North Sask

Quote from: hpinson on January 07, 2014, 08:09:15 PM
Freighter canoe. I saw some amazing loads being hauled on those in the NWT.

She is a beauty. A lot more freighter than canoe! That fella could use some more horsepower.
It would be greatly appreciated if you stopped by my thread and left your two cents.
Great Northern Saskatchewan Adventure...Round 2

JRR

If your are going to use plastic drums, they should be foam filled, I think.

hpinson

>> That fella could use some more horsepower.

35 and 40HP motors with the outboard arm seemed the most common outboards with the natives -- maybe because motors of that size were affordable, or perhaps you would not want to go much bigger with the hand-controlled throttle on a small boat.  The other watercraft I saw a lot of were the big hand-made flat bottom wooden river boats, usually about 20 feet long.  They also ferried a lot of cargo.

I also saw some rafts on the Mackenzie and Yukon rivers that people built to float downriver. I don't remember the construction details though.  I do remember seeing one that was made of two canoes lashed together with a platform in-between, a sort of catamaran.  I imagine that would work in flat water, and get scary quickly in wind and waves.

Sidhewoodsa

#19
we built our shed by the two canoe barge method suggested by Calvin Rutstrum in "The Wilderness Cabin"  That is, we put the materials across two canoes with some strapping and slowly pushed the barge with our 2hp outboard.   
"Always try out everything in a practical way,
if possible."  Calvin Rutstrum, "The Wilderness Cabin"


UK4X4

Run the barrels in line with direction of travel, not at 90 degrees to it

Better to have 2 off 24" wide blunt ends than a 9 ft wide brake

Barrels need to be strapped securely in place

Joints on the main frame need steel straps or similar to take the strain, not just nails or screws, they will pull out or heads snap off

Rather than pull from the front edge alone
Either run the rope around the whole frame, or at least attach to each side with multiple anchors, each with a large backing plate.

Please note my only experience in the raft building industry is the yearly poole quay bath race !

8-)

Sidhewoodsa

Some links for barge with barrels:

http://www.angelfire.com/ultra/edaskew/genbarge.html

http://rollingbarge.com/worlds-fastest-party-barge/

this photo from rolling barge.com:

This guy has some good information about using those big barrels, especially for permanent placement in Canadian waters, thus at frozen sites.



This shows some framing.  The builder eventually placed a pump shed on the platform
"Always try out everything in a practical way,
if possible."  Calvin Rutstrum, "The Wilderness Cabin"

Don_P

A couple of thoughts, I agree that the drag is probably more about frontal area than just shape, I'd run them lengthwise in the direction of tow. If you go with the outrigger approach for stability remember that you are creating a point loaded beam that is undergoing dynamic loading... quadruple the load if you're using a uniformly loaded beam table for the structure. I'd be worried about using something small and sharp to restrain the barrels. They will be "working" under tow and you might chafe through them. Nylon webbing is pretty cheap. There are boatloads of seatbelts at the junkyard as well.

North Sask

Sidhewoodsa, thanks for the links and the photos. I had been to the Rolling Barge site but I had not come across the other site. Your two canoe barge is quite a sight. If I had a second canoe, I would make a raft using the two canoes and tow it with my fishing boat. I am going to pick up The Wilderness Cabin from the library. I might be able to find some good inspiration from that book.

UK4X4 and Don_P, I hadn't thought about orienting the barrels with the direction of travel. In my mind the round side seems like it would travel through the water nicely. I suppose the reality is that it would be a big plow. I will see what I can come up with for turning the barrels lengthwise.

Quote from: UK4X4 on January 09, 2014, 01:09:29 PM
Please note my only experience in the raft building industry is the yearly poole quay bath race !

That makes you a lot more qualified than me. The race looks like a lot of fun.
It would be greatly appreciated if you stopped by my thread and left your two cents.
Great Northern Saskatchewan Adventure...Round 2

Sidhewoodsa

I'd think it'd be a lot cheaper and much less work to just get a second "utility" canoe, which is what I'm standing in in the picture, than to buy all the materials and build a barge, unless you also want it as a dock after the hauling is done. I got that green fiberglass sternback canoe for $100 bucks a few years back.  Kids called it Stupid Idiot for some reason. but it served and continues to serve well.

I do love "The Wilderness Cabin." Of course its very dated, but its the spirit of a man off on his own doing the wilderness thing that I like so much, and which I have gone back to over and over to remind me that I can do what I'm aiming to do.  It doesn't have to be pretty, but it does need to stand.  What my family and I built 13 years ago was to get a foot hold on the property.  It was primarily from salvaged barn materials with a dozen large sets of windows from a church.  that was the "storage shed" w/o a building permit, although a tad more than 108 sq ft because we build the window in as the walls.

my drawing skills aren't that great


and really this is now quite off topic, but this is a photo story of what we now need to replace with a larger cabin

proudly Canadian

seeing if its near level


first summer the platform was completed, materials were laid on top and covered for the winter


storage and minimal shelter (haha)


next summer framing it up. here we're working on the loft. Still haven't run out of windows, three are between the framed wall and the purple water cooler



lots of windowalls


help from the kids always


$485 later that winter:

"Always try out everything in a practical way,
if possible."  Calvin Rutstrum, "The Wilderness Cabin"