Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Product sources pond float

Does anyone have some simple plans for building a small float for a small pond? I made one with two sealed barrels and it tips on me. It was only 4x4 feet. Thanks! Bobbi

To minimize tipping esp with barrels one should have 8ftx8ft and minimum of 4 barrels, 6 or 8 are even better. Consider using several sheets of 2" thick building insulation board (4x8ft) in layers as floatation.

Thanks for the help. Where do the layers of insulation go? Right on top of the barrels and under the decking? Bobbi

Bobbi - Insulation is used instead of barrels. Use 3-4 layers (ea 2" thick) of insulation stacked inside a frame - top. Insulation as bouyancy will cause the "float" or raft to float closer to the water than barrels which makes climbing out of water onto it easier. Insulation block will be more stable than barrels. Raft can be made 4x8 or 8x8 ft (larger tends to be more stable). I would use at least 3 layers of 2" for a total of 6" thick. If floation is still not enough add another 2". Amount of insulation needed will depend on how heavy of wood is used to build the raft frame.

4 barrels are plenty for a 2-3 person raft. They will easily float 1000 pounds. A 4 barrel platform (~4'x6')is very unstable. Bill nailed it. If you can spread the 4 barrels out to ~8'x8', they will be very stable, though not very maneuverable.