How to Make Pontoon Floats
- 1). Decide just how big you need your pontoon to be. This will depend on how much buoyancy the raft itself has and how many people will be getting on it. One 2-liter bottle filled with air provides a buoyancy of about four pounds. So, if you need each pontoon you make to support 400 pounds, you will need 100 bottles.
- 2). Use a funnel to fill each bottle with packing peanuts. Press them in tight with your finger to get maximum density. This will keep the sides of the bottle from collapsing. Screw the lids back on tight.
- 3). Start gluing bottles together side to side. You want to produce a bottom layer of bottles that's as long and wide as you want your pontoon. Produce more layers in this same way; add glue to these layers on top of each other to form an elongated stack of bottles.
- 4). Use a tape measure to measure the length and circumference of the stack. Based on these numbers, use scissors to cut a piece of 20 mil plastic sheeting that you can wrap around the stack.
- 5). Use the soldering iron to seal the edges of the sheeting together to completely encase the bottle stack.
- 6). Cut a piece of nylon netting and wrap this around the pontoon. Use rope to tie it closed. You can then use rope to tie your pontoon to your raft.
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