o me, swimming has always seemed a rather pointless pastime. Frankly, I need to be going some-where. I mean, when I get on my mountain bike and head out from the cottage, I’m either bound for Ardbeg on Hwy. 520, or Wolf Lake via the old snowmobile trail. When I strap on the skis, I’ll likely end up at Maple Lake. But when I get in the water, there is no place to go; I can

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For deep dives and cannonballs, or simply soaking up the sun, our build-it-yourself swim raft is one fun floater. By Wayne Lennox

the water and cares not for destina-tion. For her – and those of you like her – strange as it might seem to my kind, the act of swimming itself ap-pears to have an inherent reward.

However, I’ve considered that a swim raft could be the answer to my needs as a swimmer of limited abil-ity and a man who likes to have a destination. If I had a swim raft an-chored out from shore, I could stroll

down to the dock, secure in the know-ledge that I was headed somewhere once I hit the water. But it is one of those projects I simply never got around to doing. (Rebuilding the driveway or finishing the ceilings seem to push into my time-space continuum.)

So when Cottage Life asked me to design and build a swim raft, I read-ily agreed. After all, besides being a

barely make it to Uncle Rob’s dock, let alone Miller’s Point, so I’m left aimlessly paddling around. To an obsessive/compulsive guy like me, it seems rather immoral to simply wan-der around without somewhere to go. If I am just going to paddle around 15 or 20 yards from the dock, then I might as well get out and haul gravel. Truly, I envy people like my wife, who effortlessly glides through

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MATERIALS1 4" x 4" x 6' (corner posts)4 2" x 8" x 8' (deck-frame stringers)2 2" x 8" x 6' (deck-frame headers)4 2" x 6" x 6' (cross members)2 2" x 6" x 8' (skirt stringers)2 2" x 6" x 6' (skirt headers)2 2" x 6" x 8' (skids)1 2" x 4" x 14' (ladder)

9 5⁄4" x 6" x 12' rounded-edge decking2 10" x 20" x 8' Styrofoam flotation

billets5 lbs 3" #8 outdoor screws16 3⁄8" x 6" outdoor carriage bolts,

washers, and nuts8 1⁄2" x 16" galvanized carriage bolts,

washers, and nuts1 heavy-duty galvanized eyebolt,

washer, and nut

10" x 20" x 95" FLOTATION BILLET

notched to accept corner posts

4" x 4" x 14 1⁄2" CORNER POST

2" x 6" x 71 1⁄2" SKIRT HEADER

2" x 8" x 71 1⁄2" DECK-FRAME HEADER

3" #8 OUTDOOR

SCREWS

1⁄2" x 16" GALVANIZED CARRIAGE BOLT (OR THREADED ROD) offset along length of skid

B2" x 6" x 71 1⁄2" CROSS MEMBERS

2" x 6" x 95" SKID

2" x 6" x 96" SKIRT STRINGER

A2" x 8" x 96" DECK-FRAME STRINGER on 24" (approx.) centres

A

A

30º bevel

29 1 ⁄2"

29 1 ⁄2"

B

B

B

3⁄8" x 6" OUTDOOR

CARRIAGE BOLTS

1 1/4"3 1/4"

2 1/4"

2 1/4"

1 3/4"

1 1/4"

TOOL LISTtape measure3⁄8" drill3⁄8" and 1⁄2" auger or spade bitsExtension for 1⁄2" auger or spade bit#8 countersinking bitscrewdriver bitcircular saw or radial arm sawbar clampshandsawhammertry square and framing squarebelt or orbital sandersandpaperwrenches and/or socket set

destination for obsessive/compulsives like me, a swim raft is a great place for kids to play, or for adults to soak up some sun.

We decided that 6' x 8' would be an ideal size for a swimming raft. (At this size, it might not be as stable as, say, a floating dock, but isn’t tippiness an admirable de-sign feature for those king-of-the-raft bat-tles?) The raft was built with Western red cedar framing and decking, and put to-gether with rust-proof hardware, and green outdoor “deck” screws instead of nails. All holes were predrilled. For flotation, we used Dow Styrofoam Buoyancy Billets,

which were through-bolted to the raft’s frame. To keep costs down, we didn’t wrap the billets in black polyethylene sheeting and galvanized hardware cloth, as is usu-ally recommended to protect them from critter damage; and we eschewed the heavy-duty galvanized hardware that the best floating docks are built with. After all, this is a swimming raft, not a parking spot for some mahogany classic. This project is fairly straightforward – suitable for a be-ginner or intermediate DIYer – and shouldn’t take more than 6–8 hours to complete.

— For this project, 75% of the assembly is completed with the raft upside down. Be-gin by cutting the 4" x 4" corner posts and the 2" x 8" stringers and headers. If you’re a careful reader, you’re probably asking yourself why the headers are 711⁄2" instead of 72" long. (See materials list.) Originally, I had cut them to 72", but then discovered that the 5⁄4" x 6" rounded-edge deck mate-rial that I had ordered in 12' lengths was exactly that: 144". Nothing to spare for trimming and saw kerf. So I had to go back and cut the headers 1⁄2" shorter to compen-sate. (The 5⁄4" rounded-edge decking was chosen because it’s more than adequately strong for our raft, and it sure looks a lot better than 2" x 6"s.)

To facilitate drilling and assembly I se-cured each corner post, in turn, to a string- er with a short bar clamp; I then repeated the procedure for the headers. (If you don’t

5⁄4" x 6" x 71 1⁄2" ROUNDED-EDGE DECKING

3" #8 SCREWS angled inward

To prevent splitting, measure in 1 1/4" from

edge of deck and angle screws out slightly

1/2" gap

36

"

18"

3" #8 SCREWS

2" x 4" x 15 1/2" LADDER BRACKET

45˚

RUNG sits in 1/2" dado

16" RUNGS, ripped to 2 1/4" to

provide finger space

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have bar clamps, you could always screw the frame members together at the corners and then attach the posts.) Attach the cor-ner posts to the stringers and headers with the 3⁄8" x 6" carriage bolts.

— Cut four 2" x 6" cross members to a length of 711⁄2". (The flotation billets are bolted to the cross members.) At this point, check the deck-frame structure for square; the length of the diagonals should be equal. Screw the cross members to the deck-frame stringers. When locating the screws at the end of the cross members, do not measure in 3⁄4" (to the dead centre

tioned, you can simplify drilling and bolt-ing them by using a couple of long bar clamps. I placed two 6' 2" x 4"s across the skids above the two centre cross members and then used the clamps to squeeze the skids down onto the billets and to hold everything in place. At each end of both skids, drill a 1⁄2" hole down through the skid, the billet, and the cross member. (An extension rod for the drill bit is necessary for this task.) Note that the holes are offset along the length of the skids. (See dia-gram.) Tap four 1⁄2" x 16" galvanized car-riage bolts down through the holes, add washers and nuts, and bolt tight. (This is not a fun job, as the space is very tight.) By the way, these large bolts can be difficult to find in your local hardware store. We got ours from Bra fasco, which has locations throughout Ontario, but lengths of zinc-plated thread ed rod with washers and nuts at each end would be a perfectly adequate substitute.

Remove the bar clamps and 2" x 4"s, drill the four remaining holes, slide the bolts into the holes, and add the washers and nuts. (No need to tighten, as you can do this when the raft is inverted.) While the raft is still upside down, add a galva-nized eyebolt to one of the cross members to provide an anchor attachment.

— Now it’s time to flip the raft over. For-get the macho stuff and call in a helper or two. Then tighten up the four remaining 1⁄2" bolts. Trim (and I mean slightly) the ends of the 5⁄4" x 6" x 12' decking and cut to length. Predrill with a countersinking bit, and screw the deck boards to the deck-frame assembly using the ever-popular 3" #8 outdoor screws, angling them outward as with the cross members. Leave a 1⁄2" gap between the boards. If they are warped (when aren’t they warped?), that long bar clamp can come in handy to pull those naughty twisted ones into place while you get the screws in. Seventeen boards were re-quired to deck the raft, which leaves one ex-tra (in all likelihood, you will have at least one reject, so it’ll balance out), and the last one had to be ripped to fit. Remember to check the distance from the deck boards to the end of the raft as you near the end, and adjust the spacing accordingly.

— Complete the raft by sanding the deck and any sharp edges or corners. Finally, for the older folk (such as myself ), I added a ladder. (For a simple ladder, see plans on

previous page. Plans for a deluxe version are available at cottagelife.com/swimladder.) All that remains is to make sure your swim raft is securely anchored in some suitable location where it won’t be a hazard to nav-igation. Then just add sun and swimsuit, and enjoy. L

Wayne Lennox cottages on and occasionally takes a dip in Lake Wahwashkesh, near Parry Sound, Ontario.

Before you proceed, keep in mind that the Navigable Waters Protection Act regulates what goes where on most cottage waterways, and that Transport Canada therefore requires a permit for a swim raft.

General Guidelines (these may not be applicable in all cases):

• the raft must be located in front of your property, no more than 30 me-tres from shore and at a water depth of 1.8 metres or less (Transport Can-ada might allow you to locate a raft farther than 30 metres from shore if a 1.8-metre depth cannot be ob-tained at that distance).

• the raft has to be removed from the waterway at the end of the boating season.

• the raft must be no larger than 10' by 10', and the deck must sit out of the water by at least 20".

• The raft must be connected to an anchor with chain that can swivel 360°.

In addition to Transport Canada, consult your provincial or territorial Ministry of Natural Resources and your local municipality to determine whether or not they have policies you must follow. Certain waterways, such as the Trent-Severn and the Rideau, also have specific restrictions. And as if that weren’t enough, there may also be restrictions mandated by a local conservation authority, a cottagers’ association or nearby park.

The Permit Process

of the stringer). Instead, mea sure in 11⁄4" and angle the screws slight ly out. This avoids splitting the ends of the boards.

— Next, cut the 2" x 6" skirt stringers to length and attach them to the corner posts. (The skirt stringers should rest on the cross-members.) Cut the 2" x 6" skirt headers to length (they should be 711⁄2", but expect some minor variations) and attach them to the corner posts. Next, drive screws on an angle down through the outside of the skirt stringer and into each cross member. The purpose of the skirt is to protect the flota-tion billets from damage. I trimmed the billets with a handsaw to 95", leaving a 1⁄2" gap at either end, and notched them to ac-cept the corner posts.

— Trim the 2" x 6" skids to a length of 95" with a 30˚ bevel at each end. The skids secure the billets to the cross members, pro-tect the flotation, and make it easier to pull the raft out of the water for winter.

Once the billets and skids are posi-