Homemade pontoon boat. (Chud copy cat)

After almost sinking our canoe by adding 2 buckets of rocks we'd found, I came home and searched (big cheap homemade boat) on Google and found Chud327s video. This is a build progression video focusing on the difference in how I built our frame mostly. For measurements on the Joist width check out @Chud327s video link is below. I wanted to build my frame a lot stronger and with tin hardware so it would be more rigid... I basically built a small deck. North Dakota storms can pop-up in minutes and the water can go from glass to 3'-4' waves in 10 minutes. Also some lakes here aren't very busy and if your boat goes down you might not see another boater for several hours if you're lucky. I have 0 filming or editing experience if you can't tell. I used a 2"x6"x8' for the bow and a 2"x10"x8' for the transom. I also used 6qty 2"x6"x16' for the floor joists. I used 3"/4" plywood and the same outside carpet and stain that chud used. I used generic 12qty 6" wide fencing slats for the sides and the same small 1 bys as chud to hold the carpet down. All of the wood is pressure treated wood. With our 8 hp Yamaha we can go about 4-5mph with no wind. There's 14 barrels that were originally used to transport bulk windshield washer fluid(I collected 12 gallons of washer fluid from the residual and then rinsed them out. I also used 28 trampoline springs, 12 huskey ratchet straps and 2 gallons of stain/wood sealer. The video wasn't filmed all at once. All credit and appreciation for the idea goes to the Chud327 channel. Just a colder version. Watch your volume @ the 11:12 mark. I included some bonus footage of the job I was working on at the time I was building my boat and the clip is a little loud comparatively.
VVV This was the actual video I watched the day we almost sank our canoe VVV
• My Cheap Homemade Pont...
#chud327
#homemadeboat
#northdakota

[@pageoanedwards5050]

You inspired me to build one also. Love fishing and have been working way to much to think about it. This is just the project I needed

[@MikesMischief]

I want to thank everyone for the thumbs up and those who have subscribed to our channel. I can't believe a simpleton from North Dakota would have a video with this many views. You are all very kind and we love you all!

[@613Builds]

Well done sir. I made one similar a few years ago but I like yours better 😎👍🏽

[@MikesMischief]

@@613Builds thank you sir.

[@ChrisCruz-gp6lo]

The word simpleton will be replaced with the word fine young man a talented gentleman

[@ChrisCruz-gp6lo]

Wonderful job thank you I'm going to build a shanty boat just like your boat

[@eppuist]

Good Job bro... You're obviosly a talented handyman👍 -Greetings from Finland 🇫🇮

[@MikesMischief]

Thank you! My grandpa was from Finland. They adopted my dad at a very young age. My last name is Piispanen.

[@smackdabtkb]

Cool boat man, looks like a good build and tons of fun for the family

[@MikesMischief]

Thank you sir we’ve had a lot of fun so far.

[@workingtorelax1223]

I like it. Think it come out good. The hell with what other people think. It was fun for you and the kids. That’s all that matters. That and toy you guys were safe too lol. Keep up the good work. Your a creative guy.

[@MikesMischief]

Thank you sir. I appreciate all your encouragement. I do feel like a babbling idiot sometimes but I felt like that long before KZbin. We have fun with it and my thought is when the kids are old and grown they’ll be able to look back and watch them from their work computers and have a laugh.

[@workingtorelax1223]

@@MikesMischief hay we got that in common lol. I am a babbling idiot too lol. Use to be a good story teller. Not so much anymore. I kinda wander off and loose my point in a story. I have a few KZbin videos. I babble in. I figure people will just skip to the good parts lol. I have no kids or wife or girl friend. Just a loaner lol. At least I get some cool things.

[@MikesMischief]

@@workingtorelax1223 that’s what naps are for.

[@ericstonge3285]

Looks good man . I am going to build one

[@ernstdh]

Awesome looking craft. Job well done kid!

[@MikesMischief]

Thank you sir!

[@ericstonge3285]

Nice job 👍👍

[@MikesMischief]

Thank you Eric!

[@christopherevridge455]

Great build, should remove the springs, with constant tension,they will always stretch out, eventually on a long ride,the barrels will come loose and y'all could sink!!!!

[@hydrocrab74]

Nice build..

[@MikesMischief]

Thank you sir.

[@BlueRidgeMarine]

Thumbing up Mike, great job.👍

[@MikesMischief]

Thank you sir.

[@gws1082003]

Nice build I'd ride for sure

[@MikesMischief]

Thank you!

[@hendrikmekanicac1395]

Very good 🤗

[@MikesMischief]

Thank you!

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

hey Mike, I like the boat and that you gave some credit to chud, I subscribed, hey, what was the deal with the helicopter and the man on the cable?

[@MikesMischief]

I was a truck-driver only on a new high-line project for a wind farm in our area. That was the job I was on while building the boat. Moving travelers, hardware and I ran their low-boy when they needed a piece of equipment moved. I’d only ever seen the lineman hanging from a helicopter on the internet so it was pretty cool to see up close. I was originally going to bury random bonus videos somewhere in all of my videos but now I just put them at the end. The Chud-boat was the first or 2nd video I made with editing software. Thanks for your support we really appreciate it.

[@franciscojoseteleslimalima6500]

Parabéns gostei muito excelente

[@michaelbrion6039]

Do you think this build could handle a full roof 8x8 as a second floor

[@MikesMischief]

I think it would. I’ve considered it honestly. It’s quite stable in the water.

[@binatangayam9475]

Mantap bos bikin perahu rumah nya

[@MikesMischief]

Terimakasih temanku.

[@sahabettinmutlu398]

Hello, Sorry, let me ask you something, how many liters should the barrels you use be in size... And how many meters should be the length and width of the Catamaran we are going to build.? i would be glad if you could help, thank you

[@MikesMischief]

I have 14 barrels and they are 55 gallon/208 liters each. My boat is 8 feet by 16 feet or 2.44x 4.9 Meters. You need to calculate the weight of your boat. 1 liter of barrel space can displace 1kg of water. So 208kg barrel you can float 208kg. For safety you should try to keep the carrying capacity at 1/2 of the buoyancy. Example 10 barrels 10x208=2080kg then divide by half. Maximum capacity on 10 barrels would be 1040kg. They can capsize if the total weight is over half of the capacity. That includes people, engine, and gear. You can use any material you have available to you. I have seen them made with metal and even bamboo. My boat is 14x208= 2912kg so my maximum weight is 1456kg. It weighs approximately 816kg. Please send me pictures of your boat I would love to see what you build.

[@sahabettinmutlu398]

@@MikesMischief When I start the construction of the boat, I will send you the pictures thank you for being so helpful 😊🙏👍✔️✔️

[@emeraldfox7175]

Good build but 1st mistake was using those straps,they're gonna rot,2nd was putting barrels in the middle,they will cause a lot of drag on the boat,cause the water can't flow between the outside barrels,sincerely 30 year boat builder.

[@MikesMischief]

Both weren’t mistakes rather completely intentional. I give the straps 3-5 years I check them before and after each outing they’re about $6 and I’ll replace them as needed. Next I would rather have the additional stability and added buoyancy of the extra barrels than an extra .05MPH. Most barrel boats plow water and can’t get up on a plane anyways. It goes 4-5mph which is as fast as my canoe went except now I’m not worrying about sinking and or my kids drowning. No mistakes here. The cheap astroturf is hard on a guys knees so that was kind of a mistake. We’ve had it out at least a dozen times. If I was buying one of your boats I probably would’ve been working half of those dozen times just to pay for it. We’re quite happy with how it turned out. Sincerely 3 week boat builder.

[@pageoanedwards5050]

​@@MikesMischief Love it!.... Solid decision making. Great Dad too, spending time with the kids.

[@MikesMischief]

@@pageoanedwards5050 thank you very much!

[@Stallion_of_italians1]

How come you used the straps instead of the steel like chud did??? Great build man!!!👏👏👏

[@MikesMischief]

I had steel banding but decided at the last minute to use straps. I worked with cranes at that time and learned the difference between steel and fiber slings. In the future I won’t need an impact driver to replace them. Just buy new straps.

[@Stallion_of_italians1]

@@MikesMischief do you think the straps were sturdier? I know my build will be heavy since im using thick wood and 8x16 frame with 10 barrels.

[@MikesMischief]

@@Stallion_of_italians1 I guess ultimately I knew I’d be beaching it a lot to look for fossils. I thought the rocks would wear off the galvanizing and the steel might rust. Also if they loosened up past the spring stretch I could just tie a knot in the spring end and shorten them up as needed.

[@Stallion_of_italians1]

@@MikesMischief actually makes sense. What do I tell the guys at home depot? Or did u order from amazon?

[@MikesMischief]

@@Stallion_of_italians1 I was pretty broke towards the end so honestly I was tying them together to make them reach lol. They do sell endless strap somewhere without the hook and ratchet. I just tied a loop knot and put it over the hook on the spring. Tell them you’re fixing to go have some fun.

[@raseuki96fishing]

good joob

[@MikesMischief]

Thank you!

[@slimithy99]

I don't see a winch on the trailer. How do you get the boat on and off? It looks like it would be too heavy to pull it to the front of the trailer by hand.

[@MikesMischief]

I back in quite far. Then I have my son bounce up and down on the back of the boat and when then I lift and pull forward with each bounce he does. I can get it up to the kick board there doing that. Then I stop partially out and make sure it’s straight.

[@Stallion_of_italians1]

So how much of a big deal is it to load and unload the boat into the water without a trailer that's specifically made for a pontoon because I'm having a really tough time finding a spontaneous Pacific trailer?

[@MikesMischief]

Mine is a flat bed 8’x20’. It’s really easy to load and unload. It was a 4 position snowmobile trailer that was made from 2 2 position snowmobile trailers welded together.

[@Stallion_of_italians1]

@@MikesMischief but if the lights r not made to be submersible won't my lights just get water logged and broken everytime?

[@MikesMischief]

@@Stallion_of_italians1 I went through them when I bought the trailer and haven’t had a problem yet. They have holes in the bottom so the water can drain out.

[@MikesMischief]

@@Stallion_of_italians1 I did take the hubs off and cleaned out the old grease and repacked them with marine grease. The idea with wires is not to try to completely wrap them water tight. They need to be able to dry out. Minimal tape on the junctions or use heat shrink butt connectors.

[@pl747]

That's a nice looking build. It sure looks like it would be fun to use. Have any idea what it weighs? How many horse power is the motor? If an adult is standing close to the edge is it still pretty stabil? I am some what interested in one with a light weight top and maybe an 8x8 enclosure to spend a couple nights at the lake.

[@MikesMischief]

I did weigh it when I first built it. I think it was around 1800 lbs. I have a 8hp Yamaha 4 stroke. It only goes about 4-5mph. Very stable. I thought about building a small cabin on it at some point to do the same thing. It’s not very fast but it is a lot more fun than sitting on the shore.

[@pl747]

@@MikesMischief thanks. it sure does look like a fun fun rig.

[@steffanmoresco2532]

How fast did it go with the motor you have on it?

[@MikesMischief]

4-5 MPH without wind. I saw 8mph once with a tail wind.

[@jaremiehorn8840]

What spings did you get

[@MikesMischief]

I used trampoline springs and added a little extra bend to the hook ends. I put an add on Facebook marketplace asking if anyone had any lying around and had some pretty quick. I’d recommend tightening them more than you think you’ll need.

[@jaremiehorn8840]

@@MikesMischief I'm doing mine and I ordered some 5.5 trampoline springs I was hoping this is what you did ,

[@jaremiehorn8840]

Thanks for the feedback

[@MikesMischief]

@@jaremiehorn8840 yep no problem. The ND wind takes out a lot of trampolines and you’d be surprised how many people have a bucket of them lying around. But if they’re cheap enough to order the it might eliminate the headache of dealing with fb market place sellers.

[@jaremiehorn8840]

@@MikesMischief I was surprised on how cheep they are 17$ on Amazon for 20 of thim I wint with a upgraded heavy duty Spring for 20dollars just in case,

[@jasenhenry]

@11:14 rip headphone users

[@MikesMischief]

I’m sorry this was one of my first yt videos. I’d like to say that I’ve learned a lot and that they’ve gotten better now but you seem like a good honest person and I don’t want to start out by lying to you.

[@James-vq7mg]

Man I could barely hear a word of what you were saying

[@MikesMischief]

This was one of my first KZbin videos. I don’t know what I’m doing now but I knew even less when I made this video. I work on things like that as time goes on. I never thought anyone would ever see this if I’m being honest.