I have asked over 20 raft manufacturers, but many cannot manufacture a 10x6m raft, so even though I haven't heard back from everyone, I want to prepare for the worst and start preparing to do it myself.
So I wonder if you know how the frame itself is made? I feel extremely unsure about building the raft my houseboat will sit on. If something goes wrong, I'm sunk q(;^
p but it's always good to have a plan B.
Here's what the foundation of the house looks like (the part that sits on the raft itself)
http://data.fuskbugg.se/skalman02/BILDP%C5%20UNDERDEL.jpg
It is 7800x5800mm and I wonder if the structure is strong enough to extend to 10x6m and be used as a raft? It is impr AB 195x45mm lumber but will be replaced with A-rated impr lumber.
So I wonder if you know how the frame itself is made? I feel extremely unsure about building the raft my houseboat will sit on. If something goes wrong, I'm sunk q(;^
p but it's always good to have a plan B.Here's what the foundation of the house looks like (the part that sits on the raft itself)
http://data.fuskbugg.se/skalman02/BILDP%C5%20UNDERDEL.jpg
It is 7800x5800mm and I wonder if the structure is strong enough to extend to 10x6m and be used as a raft? It is impr AB 195x45mm lumber but will be replaced with A-rated impr lumber.
If you search for "pråm" on Blocket, you get a number of results. Among them, a company that builds pråmar on order. And this houseboat for 210 000:- http://www.blocket.se/ostergotland/Husbat_31937952.htm?ca=11&w=3
if you're going to build a house on it, it needs to be stable, and it still looks like you're forgetting what kind of wood you can find and then reduce the strength to about 1/4 with the joining method you've chosen
so I think you should abandon the idea of making it out of wood and instead do it in steel, then fiberglass and polyester coat it to seal it a bit extra and reduce how much it will rust in the future
but think that if you're going to make it stable, it shouldn't be two-dimensional since a paper isn't rigid in more than one direction while a cube of the same material thickness becomes much more twist-resistant, and if the walls and everything are to hold, you should make it rigid, and then steel is preferable even if it costs a bit to build with
so I think you should make sure you learn basic strength of materials so you don't do as your drawing shows and reduce the strength and stiffness to a fraction of what you could have had if you'd done it right from the start
so I think you should abandon the idea of making it out of wood and instead do it in steel, then fiberglass and polyester coat it to seal it a bit extra and reduce how much it will rust in the future
but think that if you're going to make it stable, it shouldn't be two-dimensional since a paper isn't rigid in more than one direction while a cube of the same material thickness becomes much more twist-resistant, and if the walls and everything are to hold, you should make it rigid, and then steel is preferable even if it costs a bit to build with
so I think you should make sure you learn basic strength of materials so you don't do as your drawing shows and reduce the strength and stiffness to a fraction of what you could have had if you'd done it right from the start
Miry thanks for your critique.miry said:
As I understand it, you can get wood up to 6m? all parts of the structure are under 6md^_^b
But is it even possible to build with wood? if you use fittings then? type: two joist hangers?
Standard length is a maximum of 5.4m, but it might be possible to get 6m if you try to order. However, 5.2 and 5.4m are the longest that lumber yards usually have.
You'll get a stronger construction with such fittings than by cutting out, which might create a weak point and a weakening that you had initially. But you should still keep in mind that it won't be very strong in torsion; you'll need to stiffen it up, and the rest of the addition will take some torsion since a small wave will twist that raft a bit, which will increase, so it might try to twist quite a lot on the roof or in some corners. So you should look at the whole picture, not just the raft as you draw it.
But as I said before, a steel construction with steel pontoons is probably recommended, so the whole becomes a framework that supports it all, and then you build the house itself on the outside or inside of that skeleton you get. (It's probably preferable to build the house inside it as you won't have steel that has contact with weather or water that comes into the house.)
So have you decided how you're going to handle fresh water and wastewater, both gray water and from the toilet? It's not such a simple solution if it's meant to be used for long periods and stay in one place, so you'll probably need help with sewage, electricity, and fresh water.
You'll get a stronger construction with such fittings than by cutting out, which might create a weak point and a weakening that you had initially. But you should still keep in mind that it won't be very strong in torsion; you'll need to stiffen it up, and the rest of the addition will take some torsion since a small wave will twist that raft a bit, which will increase, so it might try to twist quite a lot on the roof or in some corners. So you should look at the whole picture, not just the raft as you draw it.
But as I said before, a steel construction with steel pontoons is probably recommended, so the whole becomes a framework that supports it all, and then you build the house itself on the outside or inside of that skeleton you get. (It's probably preferable to build the house inside it as you won't have steel that has contact with weather or water that comes into the house.)
So have you decided how you're going to handle fresh water and wastewater, both gray water and from the toilet? It's not such a simple solution if it's meant to be used for long periods and stay in one place, so you'll probably need help with sewage, electricity, and fresh water.
That will break like a twig in the middle where you made the break. If you want such a construction, insert some whole heavy beams in the middle to maintain stiffness where you break the two parts. So, some beams that cross the breaking point.
Then one must remember that the house itself can very well be used as part of the construction, instead of seeing the two as separate things. This makes it easier to make the whole thing stable and durable. You can build inner and outer walls that are solidly anchored in the construction.
Otherwise, you should probably speak to an engineer who can calculate/simulate the loads. The alternative is to over-dimension. Building models is probably not recommended with this kind of thing.
Then one must remember that the house itself can very well be used as part of the construction, instead of seeing the two as separate things. This makes it easier to make the whole thing stable and durable. You can build inner and outer walls that are solidly anchored in the construction.
Otherwise, you should probably speak to an engineer who can calculate/simulate the loads. The alternative is to over-dimension. Building models is probably not recommended with this kind of thing.
Have you been to Pampas Marina in Solna and looked around? There are many variations of houseboats there. Factory-made floating houses, furnished ships, and rafts with houses similar to what you are sketching. It’s been a while since I was there, but I have seen rafts with inhabited houses that looked quite fragile and twisted when waves came. It can work thanks to the fact that there are not as big stresses on a moored raft in a sheltered harbor as on a boat that sails through water. However, it requires that everything on board can twist as much as the raft does. In other words, wallpapered plasterboards are not recommended. If I were you, I’d forget all about using nailed joints in the load-bearing construction. Nailed joints that move will loosen over time. It would be unfortunate to have a house in the way when you need to hammer the nails back in.
Erik
Erik
Yes, that's what I thought. But the thread creator hasn't really told us much about how you want it, and it's probably foolish to guess.Avemo said:
When I hear the word "houseboat," I imagine a vessel with a boat hull that's still suitable for long-term living. Then there are floating houses built either on a raft or with a hull like this:
The latter type is not really movable and is permanently anchored with connections to electricity and municipal water and sewage.
Since the thread starter plans to afford a generator, it's probably not about a fixed anchoring place. But the construction he sketches doesn't seem suited for long journeys, so I don't quite see how it fits together.