Category Archives: Building a Swimming Raft

Building a swimming raft using pontoon floats

Building a Swimming Raft, Project Ideas

Swimming Raft Fun For Everyone

Swimming Raft

A swimming raft has always been a great addition to the cottage or home on the lake. In many cases folks simply pull them out and anchor them for the season. What is particularly great about rafts is it gets all the activity away from the docks to a somewhat safer environment. Rafts are generally made for jumping and diving off of while many docks are not.

Richardson Docks Raft
16ft x 16ft Raft with Two Ladders


Swimming Raft Construction

Originally a swimming raft was built using what was at hand. Most people simply used logs as the flotation medium with some sort of lumber decking. Over the years they evolved using barrels and billets and upgrading them to with beautifully finished decking and floating rails.

The Challenges

Each flotation system has advantages and disadvantages. A barrel set up using the heavy plastic barrels (as apposed to steel barrels) can be relatively inexpensive if a person has access to free or nearly free barrels. The downside to using these for a swimming raft is they sit way to high out of the water. They are also very difficult to maneuver. Attaching barrels and find a close place to build it, can also be an issue. Billets are a better option however they are a single purpose float, meaning you cannot expect to be moving them around much once they are in place. A swimming raft using barrels or billets should be removed from the water over the winter.

Using Pontoon Floats

This year we are offering another solution that overcomes some of the inherent issues using regular billets or barrels. We manufacture pontoon floats that can be used to make a multifunctional platform. Your raft can now be substituted as a barge, fishing platform or dock extension. Using our pontoon floats you can maneuver your raft just like a boat. You can anchor it out front and bring it into the shore when finished.
Our pontoon floats are designed to withstand ice conditions so there should be little concern about wintering them in the water.

If you would like to learn more about about Richardson Docks Pontoon Floats follow the links on our site and be sure to visit ourFacebook page for more ideas and pictures.

Things to consider when building a Swimming Rafts:
Flotation Calculation for your Swimming Rafts
Using Secure Hardware for your Swimming Rafts