PONTOONS

[KRIKITTS]

I saw some folks re-weaving their 18 ft catamaran in their driveway yesterday and they told me Costco had a one person catamaran. Checked their website

http://www.costco.com/Classic-Accessories-Wilderness-14-Pontoon-Boat.product.100115389.html

and found this... these floats are nine foot long. Have to beef it up a bit but I think this could be
' modified' into a lite weight portable dredge...



if not i would still have a nice fishing float/ river crosser...

 

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[Hoser John]

Gas,oil,engine vibrations kill'm pretty fast and then you have a expensive submarine. Barrels of all sizes work just fine.John

 

[russau]

I know of a man in Colorado that made his dredge with these pontoons. that was several years back and I haven't heard anything from him bad about these pontoons.

 

[Vance in AK]

Those boats are pretty easy to find used... Hit craigslist & type in "pontoon boat".
That said, & think John is right about plastic drums.

 

[KRIKITTS]

Thanks all for the input-- I've got some more thinin' to do I guess... been kicking over the barrel idea for awhile too and probably will go with that as it will be cheeper over all.... cheepest aint always the best but my biggest concern will be portability as I will need to bring up/ downriver aways to get to the spots that aint been got to yet... good news is we close on our new house today and soon I will have a shop set up and i get to stop talking and start doing!

 

[Jason in Enid]

I video'd a guy who made a dredge with one, it's on the front of this:

 

[NeoTokyo]

Nice video, thanks for sharing it.

 

[winners58]

saw some 4,5,& 6 in. dredge's on the web site of the guy selling claims on payments
dont know these people just showing the pontoons,
Gold mine for sale, mineral property, gold claims for sale

 

[jcazgoldchaser]

I saw some folks re-weaving their 18 ft catamaran in their driveway yesterday and they told me Costco had a one person catamaran. Checked their website

http://www.costco.com/Classic-Accessories-Wilderness-14-Pontoon-Boat.product.100115389.html

and found this... these floats are nine foot long. Have to beef it up a bit but I think this could be
' modified' into a lite weight portable dredge...

View attachment 1118807

if not i would still have a nice fishing float/ river crosser...

Every time I'm in cabela's bargain cave I think of that.

 

[KRIKITTS]

I ve seen that video some where I think Jason- maybe thats what caused me to think about it when I saw the catamaran... I imagined it more like the one in winners58's link- hanging low tho that one maybe too low...

I have to limit my Cabelas' visits to 1 a year and they just opened a new one right down the freeway 6 miles...

 

[Doug Watson]

Cabela's is also carrying dredge floats. Might also be an option.

 

[KRIKITTS]

Cabela's is also carrying dredge floats. Might also be an option.

well... my birthday is ONLY 4 months away.

 

[TxGoldDigger]

You might look for a local foam shop that carries marine foam.
I am getting floatation foam cut in OKC for a dredge plus extension......by Taylor Foam Inc. 4 pieces will cost me a total of $55....

that's for 2 pieces 6" x 48" 12" thick for the main dredge
2 pieces 6" x 48" 6" thick for the extension
Once I get them I will use spray rubber on the outside to encapsulate the foam......or shrink wrap them.....

 

[SHoward]

These are made from polystyrene foam 2"x 4'x 8' sheets. You can get it at building supply stores for $12 a sheet. I will be fiber glassing over them with polyester resin.

10"H x 12"W x 72"L

 

[russau]

What weight do you think itll end up being with the fiberglass over the foam?

 

[SHoward]

What weight do you think itll end up being with the fiberglass over the foam?

I'm thinking I'll be around 6 lbs each. Its been a long time since I've done this type of glass work so "remembering" the weights per square foot have gone out the door with the onset of getting old.
Right now they weigh just over 2 lbs each and that includes the 1/2 plywood laminated on top since the pics were taken.

 

[Bill_saf]

SH what weight glass are you going to use to cover?

 

[SHoward]

SH what weight glass are you going to use to cover?

I have 3/4 oz matt for the first layer on bottom, then 1 oz cloth (loose weave)over everything, and finally a heavier tight weave cloth ( don't know the weight ) final layer.

 

[russau]

Will you be jelcoating this?

 

[SHoward]

Will you be jelcoating this?

No I'm going to go with paint...Unlike epoxy, Poly resin and poly gelcoat are porous, although a small dredge (and most small boats) will never sit in the water long enough to become water logged, I'm thinking I would be better off just going with paint, which be a final seal coat rather than the added expense of gelcoat with really nothing to gain other than cosmetics.