On last month’s paddling department, you read about hand-crafted wood and canvas canoes that take months to assemble.
This month, the topic is still about handmade watercraft-but the kind built in minutes or hours, rather than months.
Green’spaces and Outdoor Adventure Rafting are partnering to create the Floatila, a community float down the Tennessee River from Rivermont Park to Ross’s Landing. And while kayaks, inflatable rafts and canoes are welcome, the stars of the show will be the homemade vessels that participants have put together for the event.
Rafts cannot include Styrofoam and may not have a motor. Aside from that, the possibilities are wide open.
Raft MathStep 1Add up the total weight of crewmembers, gear and non-buoyant structure the raft needs to support. (For example: 800 pounds)Step 2Find the number of gallons you need to displace by dividing the weight by eight. (100 gallons)Step 3Collect buoyant objects with a total capacity that adds up to the number of gallons you need. (20 five-gallon buckets, two 50-gallon drums, three 35-gallon storage totes or 100 milk jugs)