Building A Floating Raft Bed (no words)

[urbanfarmer]

[urbanfarmer]

The raft bed ended up being 16 feet x 4 feet x 15 inches height and weighed around 6,000 pounds when full.

The inside was then lined with 6 mil black polyethylene and filled with water. I have no pictures of the styrofoam rafts, but I drilled holes and placed seedlings in there.

A storm subsequently destroyed the raft bed (actually someone moved a brick after the storm moved the foundation some, but it was still standing until the brick was moved, F#@%). I dream of rebuilding it one day if time and budget allow me to...

It held 224 plants, producing 56 heads of lettuce a month.

Material cost was $150 - $200 (closer to 150).

Next time I would put it closer to the ground. It was a bit high up, but still comfortable for my height.

[jcoop]

I like, can see why it fell though. Maybe use three block and put them on the long edge. will be 8" lower and a lot more steady.

Did you have any problems with the liner?

John

[JCO]

There is a much simpler and easier way to build them and as soon as I get started on mine, I will post graphic so you can see what I mean. Don't ask, I won't tell. Wait for it...it might be at least a month or two (waiting on Bucks to come in) but I will get it done.

[urbanfarmer]

I like, can see why it fell though. Maybe use three block and put them on the long edge. will be 8" lower and a lot more steady.

Did you have any problems with the liner?

John

Yea, I will use the long side next time and keep it lower to the ground. What happened was the dirt got washed away around the block and then someone smart decided to try to fix it and made it worse... then it collapsed

No problems with the liner. I might go 10 mil next time just to compare.

[rfeiller]

always stagger your joints, minimizes stress points.
1-1/8 tongue and groove plywood (seven ply or chip board) is far superior to solid wood.

hate them growth experiences!

[stucco]

I have seen this block arrangement before and it always ends in failure. This is why pics are great- especially for newbies - they can see the good, the bad, and the ugly...learn from mistakes others have already made... expand on triumphs... and then they are off in the right direction with less frustration. Therefore - more pics please.. System Builds. Plants. Experiments. That is why we are on this forum in the first place- to make it possible for others to try AP and be successful in our baby footsteps.
BTW rfeiller is right.. always stagger joints, but why the use of 2x4's instead of a stronger larger solid piece of timber or ply? I can see they are new.. since tags are still on- so what was the deciding factor to go this route?

[urbanfarmer]

Thank you guys

Material cost, $1.97 per 2x4x8 treated lumber whereas anything larger went up drastically. BUT, where would using thicker would come in handy? I felt the 2x4's on the top were MORE than strong enough to hold the water. The 4x8 sheet I have is 7/16 OSB Exposure 1; so, I painted it with self-priming outdoor acrylic paint. I painted the edges several times and the rest of it twice to make sure it was sealed. Those pieces are still outside looking good, LOL!

What joints do I stagger?? Please tell me how to build it better because I have to rebuild it anyway!!! I'm not a construction person. This was actually my first time using a power saw, nail gun, leveling ground, etc. I suck at this stuff, but I'm willing to do and learn!

I honestly think my material cost was around $115, but I threw in a few more bucks to round it off in case I forgot something, but I don't think I did. I'm putting away money to give it another try. It's hard since I'm a student and gas, food, and books are my primary expenses.

OH, I did use 16 gauge finishing nails as framing nails... I know this was probably a terrible idea, but I jumped on it and kicked stuff, and it didn't budge. I may do this again because I can't afford a framing nailer and regular nails tend to split the wood.

[rfeiller]

staggering of boards means that if you look at your photo you will see length wise all the ends of the 8' boards line up vertically. every other one should split on a different verticle support.

i use exterior screws for fasteners, i don't trust nails to hold should there be an earthquake, which you do not worry about i know. but screws will not work loose as the wood shrinks like nails. if the screws are not rust proof eventually the project will come apart.

[urbanfarmer]

staggering of boards means that if you look at your photo you will see length wise all the ends of the 8' boards line up vertically. every other one should split on a different verticle support.

i use exterior screws for fasteners, i don't trust nails to hold should there be an earthquake, which you do not worry about i know. but screws will not work loose as the wood shrinks like nails. if the screws are not rust proof eventually the project will come apart.

OH, I thought you mean the blocks for the foundation, but I wasn't sure. Those 2x4 boards are actually spaced about 1/8" apart anyway... so, they are not holing each other up. Was that a bad idea? It seems like the force would be pushing out not down; so, I figured I shouldn't worry about the force coming down and that's why they're not touching. I also got another inch out of the height.

Also, the boards I used for the foundation were somewhat cracked before it collapsed. I'm not sure if it was just too much weight or what. I will definitely use a thicker lumber next time for that.

I will try the screws. Maybe use the nailer to get it in place then put some screws once it's adequately assembled. It's just a PAIN to screw/nail things by hand because the lumber flies everywhere or moves too much. Again, probably not an issue for experts, but I mess it up all the time!