Profession grade DIY floatation, not recycled plastic drums

[ncclaymaker]

Was looking around for a floatation system that was strong, easy to use, but wouldn't bust the bank. My neighbor had a dock created using these modules, no leaks, no problems...they just float. Try googling "permafloat" to get a local distributor to save on freight. They aren't cheap, but then again, good quality never is.

Check out the link - Permafloat Cellofoam Float Drums made here in the USA

View attachment 1222455

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[russau]

Years back I had a leak in my Keene pontoons at the mounting location on top of the pontoons and I was going to fill my pontoons with closed cell foam and the place that did it was real close to my home. I talked with the man that was going to do it and settled on a price and I dropped off my pontoons to be done. THEN I called him back and asked "how much will this weigh?) he said 1 LB per foot .well I was trying to get my dredge as light as possible for me(old wore out bones) and the added weight didn't set well with me , so I cancelled the job and ended up fixing the leak at the mounting points to the top of the pontoon! these pontoons listed on the previous post is also foam filled. I guess if your making a laarger dredge this would be great , but on my 4 inch I didn't want to ADD ANY weight!

 

[panningjack]

Not too bad on pricing. But wouldn't work for me. The places I dredge have too much fast water. I would want something more streamlined. Like a pontoon raft.

 

[mike(swWash)]

I agree with panningjack, light, can be inflated and assembled onsite, and easily found used on most craigslist areas at a decent price.

 

[Hoser John]

I like my drums as less resistance in moving water, MUCH less weight, easily drag them over rocks for miles and no damages yet in 20+ years and 1,000s of uses. Much cheaper, easily replaceable, hold camo paint well, I sent Russau many pics of ops over the years, and fit my frame perfectly-4 x 25 for a creek or 6 x 25 for a fast river and good to go with MUCH less trouble having tree/limbs/bushes,brush getting hung up when your gone as a much more rounded design makes things bump off of and not snag-LOVE"M -John

 

[NeoTokyo]

Reed also has a video on making a cheap frame with drums for floats.
Nothing wrong with using drums.

Here it is.

 

[russau]

Agreed! If I was able to dredge again , id use drums for the cost , weight , heavy duty and ease of obtaing them! the important thing here is getting the most bang for your buck! and Reed has shown us that over and over in his videos!

 

[ncclaymaker]

I'm not using them, since I've already built a towable dredge from two 8 inch X 6 foot corrugated black drainage pipes from Habitat, and two nice aluminium welded frames from a closed food store. I did create tapered nose cones for the front of the tubes for ease of towing. I thought that this might be a reasonable alternative to the out-of-the-box offerings that populate the dredging web today. Barrels are great for slow moving water, but for towing with a boat or in fast water, they become problematic due to the blunt ends. Simple does work exceptionally, as the video image above shows.

 

[russau]

pointed ends can be acquired or made for drums to eliminate that problem NC! Im all for light weight , inexpensive ,readily availiable items for whatever im doing! nothing wrong with your pontoons BUT for myself theyre to heavy , Heck almost everything is to heavy for me now-a-days!

 

[ncclaymaker]

If you think that you are surrounded by a stronger than normal gravitational field, trust me you're not alone. I started having the people at the big boxes load my stuff. I also have a Handicap placard, courtesy of a form from the VA and exposure to some nasty stuff in the mid-sixties. The solution to our problem when the parts are wearing out is.... there really isn't a solution. By the way, the entire rig, only the float platform weights in at less than 35 lbs. or so.

 

[Reed Lukens]

I'm not using them, since I've already built a towable dredge from two 8 inch X 6 foot corrugated black drainage pipes from Habitat, and two nice aluminium welded frames from a closed food store. I did create tapered nose cones for the front of the tubes for ease of towing. I thought that this might be a reasonable alternative to the out-of-the-box offerings that populate the dredging web today. Barrels are great for slow moving water, but for towing with a boat or in fast water, they become problematic due to the blunt ends. Simple does work exceptionally, as the video image above shows.

Pictures are the proof, that my old barrel dredge has been in faster water then most people will ever try and dredge in. It was built to take the fastest Rapids and not flip.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PL00888EC287A71E22&v=RCqm7CS8dL4

 

[Reed Lukens]

If you think that you are surrounded by a stronger than normal gravitational field, trust me you're not alone. I started having the people at the big boxes load my stuff. I also have a Handicap placard, courtesy of a form from the VA and exposure to some nasty stuff in the mid-sixties. The solution to our problem when the parts are wearing out is.... there really isn't a solution. By the way, the entire rig, only the float platform weights in at less than 35 lbs. or so.

Are you building a 3"?

 

[Hoser John]

Amen Reed as plastic barrels ARE professional grade. Tougher, lighter, cheaper and easy to replace midseason in case the hunters think your dredge is a deer. 4 for a creek and 6 for a raging river floats my 4" just fine, the 5"-6" 2 more and good to go always. Much easier to pack into them nasty hidey holes we must use now- John

 

[NeoTokyo]

My 8" / 6" ran light grade white barrels and they only lasted a few years.
I am replacing these white barrels with the blue heavy duty barrels.
There really isn't a difference in price, buy the blue ones.

 

[ncclaymaker]

Just mounting the works for my 4" dredge, which I am putting the motor and pump in the Jon boat. A little more work to set up, but worth it to me. Basically a matter of ease of transport on the road and launching. Most of my work is lake shore or creeks that I've already prospected and recorded on a Windows GPS app. I used to not worry about pumps and stuff since I was using the output from the jet pump of the boat.

 

[Reed Lukens]

I'm not using them, since I've already built a towable dredge from two 8 inch X 6 foot corrugated black drainage pipes from Habitat, and two nice aluminium welded frames from a closed food store. I did create tapered nose cones for the front of the tubes for ease of towing.

Have you tested the dredges floatation in water yet? 8" x 6' wouldn't be enough for my 4" even without the motor. 4 - 15gallon drums wouldn't even sink 3" with that set up when towing.

 

[Hoser John]

NT I've ran the same barrels for many MANY 1,000s of hours over at least 20 years and all my barrels are just fine? Never seen a barrel last so short a period of time?? NO UV protection or from a state that does not conform to stringent DOT regs for burst strength Bummer-John

 

[NeoTokyo]

John I can only assume the barrels on it were light duty barrels, I don't know where the last owner picked them up at but they aren't very good.
I have seen commercial liquid fertilizer barrels that were made the same way, no where near the quality of the blue, brown or black barrels. I have seen some white barrels made exactly the same as the blue barrels too, so not all white barrels are bad.

The blue barrels that our local oil guys sell for $10 each are super strong. They were water soluble liquid cleaner containers.


My barrels got chalky looking and were brittle, definitely sun damage but the weight of the dredge on the barrels didn't help either.

 

[Vagadero]

Do you use ten 55 gallon barrels?

 

[NeoTokyo]

Mine uses 9.
4 on each side and then a half barrel at the end will with closed cell foam.