Homemade inflatable catamarans. DIY catamaran

A do-it-yourself catamaran is built quite simply. If you want to make a homemade catamaran for fishing, a foam catamaran, an inflatable catamaran, a catamaran for rafting or for any other purpose, then in this article we will try to briefly describe the main stages in the construction of such boats.
Such a means of water transportation is especially important for those who live in close proximity to the sea, lake, river or any other body of water. And sometimes the manufacture of a catamaran can become a vital necessity, so such a watercraft must have appropriate strength and reliability. And if you are not a billionaire who can order any vessel in the design office, then we suggest you make a catamaran, which you can later use for various purposes with your own hands: tourism, fishing, recreation or even travel.

Compared to a kayak, boat or yacht, a catamaran has many advantages. First of all, these are higher reliability, stability, light weight, comfort and the ability to overcome rapids when rafting from rivers.
On a sea catamaran, drawings and preliminary calculations are necessary so that it does not turn out that the ship has a high windage or rolls over, even on small waves.

Thanks to the detailed and well-designed drawings of a catamaran, you can independently and without expensive equipment make, for example, a sailing catamaran that will fully meet all your requirements.
Such a do-it-yourself swimming facility according to a pre-designed scheme or sketches will differ:

• High seaworthiness, reliability and required speed,
• Light weight, as a result, the ability to be transported to any distance,
• Placement of the required number of seats,
• If necessary, it is possible to provide for the installation of an additional engine.

On the drawing of the catamaran, all the details of our vessel should be drawn and the sequence of construction operations should be outlined. There should also be the dimensions we need.

Consider a few drawings for catamarans:

Catamaran for fishing

If you are interested in catamarans for fishing that you can make yourself, then you do not need to have specialized production facilities or special technical skills at your disposal.
The construction of a catamaran should begin with the fact that you need to decide on the size of the future swimming facility. Based on the available dimensions, we purchase plywood and wood. In principle, any wood can be used, as long as it is not very expensive and floats well. For example, you can buy 1 cubic meter of pine, its average price is 3400 rubles. Also, we need plywood, 4 mm thick - about 8 square meters (it is better to take it with a margin), it will cost us about 700 rubles.
We begin the work on building a catamaran with our own hands by creating the hull of the future vessel. The first stage is the installation of the beam. For connection constituent parts our catamaran, you need to purchase high-quality screws of different sizes.

Fishing catamarans must have high strength hulls. Most optimal length considered 6 meters. Be prepared for the fact that when creating a catamaran with your own hands, you will need to recalculate its dimensions several times. This is normal, because as construction progresses, new ideas will begin to appear to improve the strength or seaworthiness of your vessel.
When building a catamaran on your own, special attention should be paid to the mast beam. As practice shows, its measurements and calculation are done several times. When building such a sailing vessel with your own hands, you need to be extremely accurate and attentive.

We build a reliable foam catamaran

A self-made foam catamaran will be impossible to sink, it is durable and easy to use.
Let's look at the construction of this floating craft with our own hands with dimensions of 3750 x 1600 mm, plate thickness 40 to 150 mm, float height 200 mm and width 400 mm. The cutting of plates is carried out using a special device - nichrome wire heated to 200-250 ° C or on a special machine.
To make a walking foam catamaran, we need: 2 diaphragms in the bow, 4 bulkheads and 4 frames. All these parts are made of plywood with a thickness of 12 mm.

Clamping pipes (duralumin) are used to hold the parts, but thin-walled steel pipes can also be used. On your own, on pipes with a diameter of half an inch, you need to make a thread using a die or ratchet screw.
Before assembling floats for a catamaran, epoxy glue or oil paint is applied to the wide surfaces of the plates, after which, by means of ties, they are pulled together with steel tubes. Now, thin calico or fiberglass is glued to a homemade catamaran in several layers using epoxy resin or oil paint.
The front part of the catamaran floats is also made by hand using corners, 25x25 mm in size (aluminum is used), after which it is sheathed with aluminum sheets, 0.5 mm thick.
The covers, made of plywood sheet duralumin 1-1.5 mm thick, are fastened with screws to the corners of the bow, which, in turn, is put on the ends of the coupler pipes and fastened with nuts. The final stage in the manufacture of the bow is its filling with pieces of foam and closing the lid.
The construction of the deck is carried out from slats and wooden bars. Finished construction self-attached to frames with 8 bolts and nuts. If you want to move faster on a catamaran and even against the wind, then in its stern part you can install a motor or row.

DIY inflatable catamaran

An inflatable catamaran must have a drum-shaped or spindle-shaped float.
As a rule, floats have a two-layer type construction: internal inflatable chambers, as well as a protective outer shell. If you want to build an inflatable type catamaran so that it has high survivability, then for this you can use internal chambers that have two compartments. Such cameras cost about 10,000 rubles each, you also need to have oars - their average price is 3,000 rubles. for a couple. It will not be superfluous to have life jackets, which will cost you at least 1000 rubles. for every. In general, if you want to build such a catamaran with your own hands, then you need to have a budget of about 35,000 rubles.

One skin is designed to fit two short cameras. Therefore, you need to take into account that they have an overlap in length of at least 2 diameters, otherwise, you will not be able to avoid “constrictions” on the float.
Do-it-yourself insertion of an inflatable chamber into a catamaran boat is carried out in the skin of the float through the holes, which, as a rule, are located at the ends of the skin. All this is carried out in the following sequence:

1. We lay out the camera next to one of the holes,
2. We put the skin on the hand through another hole,
3. We pull the camera into the skin,
4. We bend the ends by about 10 cm. This is done in order to reduce the load from the end seam, as well as bring the bent ends of the chamber into the front and back of the skin.

An inflatable tourist catamaran with the simplest hatches does not have fasteners, because in the process of inflating the chambers, they will close on their own. When inserting two chambers into one skin, the chambers must be placed one on top of the other, after which the skins must be retracted simultaneously.
The tube that inflates the chambers comes out of the skin through one of the hatches. Usually, operating pressure in chambers is no more than 0.1 atm. When taking the catamaran ashore, it must be placed in the shade or the pressure in the chamber should be slightly reduced.
To inflate the chambers yourself, a variety of boat pumps can be used with an adapter that will fit the chamber hose. On average, pumping 1m3 of float takes 20 minutes. To pump up a float catamaran, hand pumps it is better not to use it, otherwise after pumping up the chambers you will no longer want to swim anywhere, so it is best to grab a foot pump or an automatic pump.

Alloy catamaran

Rafting on a catamaran is always exciting. Therefore, if you want to quickly and without specialized equipment make a catamaran for rafting, then carefully read our step-by-step instructions for making this craft.
In addition to the catamaran itself, for the alloy we need:

• Wetsuit (price from 10,000 rubles).
• Life vest. Its cost is not less than 1000 rubles.
• Helmet (from 1500 rubles).
• Boots (from 2000 rubles).
• Protective clothing. Its cost is from 5000 rubles.

Stage 1: Assemble the deck. Two gondolas, already inflated with air, are independently fastened together at a distance of about 90 cm, preferably with aluminum tubes.
It is important that sand or small stones do not get inside the already inflated cylinders. Otherwise, the camera may be pierced from the inside.
Stage 2: We inflate the nacelles. You don't need to fill them up completely. Just a little pumping so you can install the deck and then pull it up. Then, we carry out a full pumping of the nacelles, otherwise your catamaran will have poor stability.

Stage 3: We install the deck and fit it with ropes. The gondola should already have loops through which the rope goes. We wrap the rope around the deck once and put it through the loop.
Stage 4: A water catamaran for descents must have a bottom, which is a tarpaulin, which is attached to the edges of the deck with ties. It should be tightened in such a way that it does not turn out very tight, while everything is well kept.
That's all, as you can see, it is very easy to make a catamaran for descending from mountain rivers with your own hands!

Sailing catamaran has some features

Before you make a catamaran on your own and sail with it, you must understand that this vessel has an outer shell that provides strength, including an inner chamber that is responsible for the tightness of the structure. The presence of contours reduces the resistance of water when sailing. The frame catamaran itself is made of duralumin tubes held on by bolts by means of shaped nuts.
The design of the catamaran described below has a rudder and provides for a sail. Almost all components can be made independently, only a small amount of turning work is required.
Before starting the construction of this floating facility, you must definitely have a catamaran scheme, adhering to which you will get a quality thing.

floats

There will be two of them in our model, and each of them is filled with air. In cross section, these elements have the shape of a circle. The floats practically do not have cylindrical sections, but they differ in the stern and bow sections.
The float includes an inner chamber and an outer shell that is 15% smaller than the chamber. This is necessary so that the camera is always in a tense state and its safety is ensured. Making the camera yourself is one of the key operations, so it takes a lot of time. If this element is made of synthetic materials, then it will last for a rather long time, and if it is made of rubber, then its durability will be somewhat lower, but the price is more affordable.

cutting

If it is impossible to cut out the camera from whole piece material, the cloth must be glued from pieces, and this must be done with an overlap. The seam should be at least 3 cm wide, and strips of fabric should be additionally glued in its place. The back of the chamber, which resembles the shape of a sleeve, is twisted during assembly and tied with a rubber band.
Self-made design of the sleeve provides the possibility of its drying and repair. In addition, a special valve used for a boat should be glued into the chamber in front of the bow rowers. It can even be used to pump up this water vehicle on the go. Therefore, your cruising catamaran will always be afloat, a walk on it will be a great pleasure.
To make the bottom of a catamaran with your own hands, it should also be cut out of a single panel or its individual pieces, and then fastened together. Then, it is necessary to sew the lower and upper shell parts from the limbs to the middle. The redrawing of parts must be carried out with maximum accuracy - this must be done to ensure the correct form of avoiding wrinkles on the float.

Bridge

Usually it is aluminum, made from tubes of different sizes and diameters, along with fasteners, which are used as bolts and studs. The stringers are made of two elements connected with a sleeve, which is glued to the back of the catamaran and fixed with a pin. The ends of the stringers are fastened with a plug, which can be made of any material and securely fastened with shaped nuts.

Deck

This element of the catamaran has a rectangular shape, and it is made from a panel of dense varieties of nylon. The value of this element depends on what kind of frame we have assembled.
When making a deck with your own hands, along its perimeter, the edges of the panel should be tucked in by 30 mm, and then stitched. Now install the eyelets used to secure the bridge to the deck. Lacing should be done from the middle of the float to its end point.

Sails and mast

A do-it-yourself catamaran sail is best made from three duralumin tubes, each of which is inserted into each other. But you can also build wooden rods with connecting strips. When carrying a floating craft, spars elements are inserted into the long parts of the mast - gaff and composite, which are made from duralumin ski poles or tubes of the required diameter.
The lower part of the mast is attached to the middle of the second beam with four guys and tensioners from the upper end of the mast to the ends of the cross beams.
If necessary, the sail for the catamaran can be independently increased in size or reduced, depending on your experience in managing such watercraft.

Motor catamaran

How to make a catamaran with your own hands, which will be easy to walk on the water, on the waves and even against the wind? A homemade catamaran made of plywood is not suitable for this, because you need something more “serious”. Therefore, we suggest you make a motor catamaran, which is called “from improvised means”. The engine from a moped will be used as a motor.
To get a good motor boat, you need to install a moped on the catamaran frame in the center, which will be securely held by the transverse beams.
We recommend making the case from hardboard, 4 mm thick. By bending the workpiece, we drill holes at a distance of 50 mm. Now we sew the body using copper wire, gluing a transom board and two frames there. After everything is dry, glue the joints and remove the wire. Then, we coat the seams with glue and fix them with strips of fabric in three layers.
Fiberglass should be glued into the hull, and the deck made of hardboard, and then glued to the hull using copper wire and epoxy glue. WITH inside we cover the body with parquet varnish, and on the outside, how well we glue everything with fiberglass.
Now we begin to use pine blocks as cross-sectional beams, attaching them with epoxy glue to the frames. Using clamps, we fix the bearings at the ends of the housing, which we previously bent from three-millimeter metal strips.
The control of a motor catamaran is carried out with the help of steering feathers. They are cut out of plywood, 12 mm thick, after which they are hung and fixed with hinges and homemade loops.
Now, we independently remove the wheel from the moped and fix it with the help of the stud axles in the front and rear attachment points. Next, we replace the chain with a longer one so that we have the opportunity to pass it through the engine, which is located on the paddle wheel.
The design of the catamaran can use diesel, Gas engine or an electric motor from any manufacturer. The main thing is that it weighs a little.
You must have a diagram of how to make a catamaran, this will avoid miscalculations and speed up its construction.

Marine catamaran

Do you want to learn how to make a good catamaran with your own hands, which will take only a few days to make? Then read this article carefully.
First you need to prepare the slats. Four of them should be three meters long, and two 1.9 meters long. We also need four segments of 570-600 millimeters. Obviously, a pair of upper rails placed below will give the frames the opportunity to sit firmly in place. Using screws, we fix the crossbars, after which we lay the keel rail, screwing it to the 1, 5 and 6 frames. Now the frame is strong enough and the future marine catamaran can be turned on its side so that the top rails can be attached to the frames.
Do not forget to buy a board 50 millimeters thick, which we will later use to cut out the front and back bosses, but here it should be borne in mind that they must be cone-shaped.

sheathing

The central part has a width of 823 millimeters, which is very easy to cut with your own hands. It can be easily bent according to the shape of the frame, because we pre-impregnated it with drying oil. However, this matter cannot be rushed. To simplify our work, we tighten the blanks with wire or ropes, leaving them in this position for several days. Also keep in mind that plywood will be attached with nails, but you need to coat the bonding points (rails and frames) with oil-based paint in advance. Also, special attention should be paid to the joints on the frames.

Deck

In order for a pleasure catamaran to sail on the sea, it must have a reliable deck, which is made of plywood. To improve the strength of this element, we nail the rails every 300-350 mm. If you are not sure about the strength of plywood, then it can be laid in 2 layers - on top of each other. At the place where the pedals are installed, the distance between the rails should not interfere with their rotation.

mover

Our cruising catamaran for sea travel will have a propeller drive made by hand from parts from a bicycle. We will use two frames with pedals and bottom brackets. We flatten the cut ends of the frames, after which we attach them to the deck rail with screws, and install distance bushings between the pedals, ranging in size from 120 to 130 mm, and connect the pedals themselves with long studs.
Now, we install paddle wheels on the catamaran, which we make from bicycle wheels. The blades are cut out of rubber, 4-6 mm thick, after which we wind them with wire to the knitting needles. One wheel should have 5-6 blades.

functional area

The seat of a do-it-yourself catamaran is made of slats and plywood, and their cross section should be 25x25 millimeters. It is attached to the deck after the propeller drive is installed, so that the slats from below do not touch the tensioned chain. All elements should be fixed with screws so that, if necessary, their position can be adjusted.
Now we proceed to the manufacture of the steering, which will be made of plywood and racks. The size of our steering wheel will be 200x320 millimeters. To the right steering wheel, with the help of rails, we nail a plywood bracket, each side of which is 200 millimeters. After that, from it to the lever we start up the thrust - it should be installed on the side, next to the seat. As axes of transverse and longitudinal rods, you can use thick nails with holes drilled through them, otherwise the rods will simply burst.
To make a motor marine catamaran with your own hands, you will definitely need drawings, because this is the only way to guarantee the accuracy of calculations and the correctness of the geometric shapes of the watercraft. And after its construction, you can safely go on a cruise.

Pleasure catamaran

We will build a pleasure catamaran from foam, with dimensions of 3950x1800 mm. The float has a height of 250 mm and a width of 450 mm, the thickness of its plates is from 40 to 150 mm.
For the manufacture of this vessel, we need approximately 2 m3 of foam and about 5 square meters. meters of plywood. Styrofoam costs about 2000 rubles. per square meter, and plywood is about 250 rubles. per sheet, 4 mm thick.
Before you start assembling the floats, you need to cover the wide surfaces of the plates with epoxy glue, and then tighten them with pipes using nuts. Now, the outer surfaces need to be pasted over with fiberglass or thin calico folded in several layers.
We make the front part of the catamaran with our own hands separately, using corners made of aluminum or stainless steel, 30x30 mm in size, then, the resulting structure is sheathed with aluminum sheet, 0.5 mm thick. Our Styrofoam Pleasure Catamaran has a metal structure that is bolted and angled together.
Further, the construction of a catamaran independently consists in attaching plywood or duralumin covers to the corners of the bow using screws. The front part of our watercraft is mounted on the ends of the tie-down pipes, after which they are fixed with nuts. The cavity is filled with pieces of foam and closed.
The deck is assembled using bars and rails, and the resulting structure is attached to the frames with eight bolts and nuts. In order to move around the water with great comfort, you can install a small motor with a power of up to 5 hp. or rowing.

Sail for a catamaran

An inflatable sailing catamaran must have a mast and appropriate mounts, the manufacturing process of which we will now consider. Before you make a catamaran on your own, you must first decide what height your mast will be, as well as where the shrouds and half shrouds will be attached.
Having all the dimensions of your future sail, you can order its tailoring at the appropriate studio, but in order to avoid manufacturing defects and if you have the appropriate equipment, you can sew the sails yourself.
But before sewing the sail, let's make a mast. Most best option- make it from three duralumin tubes that will be inserted into each other. But, there are also methods for manufacturing masts from rods with connecting strips.
If you want to move a sailing catamaran, then other elements are inserted into the long parts of the mast, which are made from duralumin ski poles or tubes of the appropriate diameter. The base of the mast is attached to the middle of the second beam and four guys having tension devices from the top of the mast to the ends of the first and third cross beams.
A do-it-yourself inflatable sailing catamaran is equipped with feather percale sails, which should consist of a mainsail and a staysail, and their area is 7 square meters. m. These sails, which are mounted on the mast, have a height of 3600 mm, plus there is a jib. All this equipment makes it possible to develop a catamaran speed of up to 10 km/h with a fair wind.

Do-it-yourself plywood catamaran

In order for the frame and other power elements of this water vehicle to be as strong as possible, we will use pine slats with bars, the cross section of which ranges from 25x40 to 60x100 mm, and their cost is approximately 7000 rubles. per cube meter - just as much as we need such material.
The floats are sheathed with waterproof plywood, the thickness of which is 6 mm. The cost of such plywood is 300 rubles. per sheet, and its size is 1525 × 1525 mm. We need about 4 sheets. For the manufacture of frames, we will use plywood, 9 mm thick, its price is about 400 rubles. per sheet. You also need to buy 4 sheets.
External waterproofing is carried out using reinforcing layers of fiberglass, which are pre-impregnated with polyester or epoxy resin. Such fiberglass costs about 80 rubles. for 1 sq. m., it will need about 20 squares, since we will overlap. The price of epoxy resin is about 7000 rubles. for a 3 liter jar.
The wooden elements of the body are fastened together with bolts and self-tapping screws with a flush head.
A do-it-yourself homemade plywood catamaran is much easier than a boat, because it is assembled on a simple slipway, which is a flat base of boards with racks fixed vertically.

You need to assemble your future vessel with your own hands in the following sequence:

1. We install our platform on the ground in a horizontal position, and put the racks to which we will attach the frames at a right angle.
2. With the help of pre-made drawings of the catamaran, it is necessary to independently cut out two sets of frames with two identical transom boards.

• Using self-tapping screws, in the technological cutout of all transverse bulkheads, we install and fix wooden stringers made of bars, 40x40 mm in size, after which we make zygomatic stringers from slats with a section of 25x40 mm.
• Now, according to the same principle, we install a figured stem with a section of 50x90 mm.
• After the frame is assembled, we check all its dimensions so that they correspond to the drawings.

In order not to get confused in the sequence of all operations, you can take a photo of them. Now you know how to make a plywood catamaran, the only thing to keep in mind before starting work is that the budget for such a vessel is about 20,000 rubles. But with such a catamaran, good fishing is guaranteed!

Tourist catamaran

Our cruise ship will be made of foam. A frame for a catamaran of this type is not needed. Before assembling the float, it constituent elements should be covered with epoxy glue, pre-painted oil paint. Then, we tighten all these parts with the help of nuts and steel tubes. After that, we paste over each outer surface with a thin material, for example, coarse calico or fiberglass, previously folded in 2-3 layers.
If you want to build a catamaran with a high degree of reliability, then its bow should be made separately, using aluminum corners for this, 25x25 mm in size. After that, we begin to sheathe it with sheet aluminum, the thickness of which is 0.5 mm. By the way, one sheet of aluminum costs about 1,500 rubles, and we need 3 of them.
Under sheet aluminum, there must be a plywood diaphragm, which is fastened with corners and bolts. The aluminum sheathing that connects the metal parts is held in place with rivets.
Now we make the bow with our own hands. We attach covers made of plywood or thin-sheet duralumin to the corners of the floats with screws. After that, the bow is connected to the main one, then it is put on the ends of the tie pipes. All this is now tightly connected with nuts. For the manufacture of the deck of our water vehicle, we use bars and wooden slats, fastening them together in increments of 10-15 cm.
Now you know how to make a catamaran on your own and go on a boat trip along the body of water closest to your home. The construction of such a vessel, on average, takes 2-3 days.

Pipe catamaran

The basis of such a water vehicle are aluminum pipes connected to each other to form a frame. We will attach balloons inflated with air to it.
But first we need to buy all this. Therefore, keep in mind that 1 meter of the pipe we need, with a diameter of 16 mm, costs about 26 rubles, and we need 30 meters of such pipes - no less. Inflatable balloons cost at least 25,000 rubles. for a couple.
Such cylinders should have a two-layer structure, where the outer layer is a cover made of tarpaulin or some other durable fabric, it is on it that the main load falls. Cylinders are placed inside such a cover. By the way, if you don’t know how to make a homemade catamaran from pipes so that its cost is lower, then instead of buying inflatable balloons, you can use plastic sleeves. After all, their main purpose is air retention and strength, so their configuration is not fundamental to us. The only thing is that the dimensions of the sleeves must be larger than the durable outer cover. For greater safety, the inner cylinders must be made of several sections, so that when one is pierced, the catamaran remains confidently afloat.
In the process of building a catamaran boat with your own hands, it is best to use stainless materials. Special attention should be given to fastening the cylinders - it is necessary to exclude their contact with metal parts in order to prevent excessive friction. Also, when you erase a catamaran from pipes with your own hands, we do not recommend saving on the materials used. Do not forget about the crew, you need to make sure that it is convenient for them to walk, even if there is a place to sit on a small deck.

Aluminum catamaran

Homemade aluminum catamaran is not as easy to make as it seems. For this, it is recommended to use metal, grades AMg5, AMg6, etc. Taking into account the dimensions of a beach catamaran familiar to many of us, we can conclude that aluminum sheets with a thickness of 2 mm are suitable for its manufacture. The price of one such sheet is on average 6,000 rubles, and we need 4 of them. For the deck, we recommend using aluminum sheets, 4 mm thick - their price is approximately 12,000 rubles. - One such sheet is enough for us.
Making a catamaran out of aluminum with your own hands is quite difficult due to the fact that you need to have equipment for welding aluminum sheets and the appropriate skills. Therefore, it is best to entrust this business to professionals or by providing it for some kind of production. detailed description how to make a catamaran and a diagram of a future ship.
The aluminum case is very practical and will serve you for many years, while it practically does not need maintenance. Such an aluminum water vehicle can be stored even in the open air, this will not make it worse.

Making a frame for a catamaran with your own hands

A reliable frame for a catamaran is made by connecting longitudinal and transverse pipes. They are fastened with a special knitting. Pipes that are laid in the longitudinal direction are specially made collapsible to make them more convenient to transport. But the frame can be made not only from metal, but also from wood.
If you want to build a water catamaran with your own hands, on which you can raft from category 3 rivers or walk on lakes, then the frame is best made from D16T grade aluminum alloy.
The tying of pipes is carried out as follows: the knitting is wrapped around the pipes, then the collar is threaded, after which it is wrapped 2 times, then the collar is put on the clamp. Bindings should be used from synthetic lines that stretch, do not rot and do not dry out after a while.
A standard frame kit for a catamaran consists of:

• Aluminum pipes with a diameter of 20 mm (you will need 4 longitudinal and 5 transverse). Such a pipe costs about 80 rubles. per meter, and we need about 30 meters of these pipes.
• 20 twists, 20 collars and 20 collars. All this will cost about 3000 rubles.

Before you start making a frame, you must have a diagram of a catamaran.

Frame on clamps

This method of assembling frames consists in using knees made of a special material - caprolon. It is highly durable and reliable. Using such tools, the frame can be assembled in 20-30 minutes.

Frame on knits

To make the deck flat, longitudinal elements (1 or 2 pieces) are installed in the middle part of the frame. The frame is attached to the gondolas by lacing the longitudinal elements to two rows of opposite loops. This allows you to make a wooden frame instead of aluminum.
Now you know how to make a good do-it-yourself aluminum catamaran. We wish you a pleasant stay!

Making floats for a catamaran with your own hands

Floats for a catamaran are elongated cylinders inflated with air. To make such floats with your own hands, you need to take a strong and light fabric, which does not allow air to pass through, it is best to use rubberized.
We take the fabric, cut out pieces from it, 300 x 64 cm in size - these will be our blanks for the cylinders, for each of them you need 2 identical pieces of fabric. If you do not have the material of the right size, then you can glue the pieces of fabric we need from cuts of small sizes. Gluing must be done with an overlap so that there is an overlap of at least 2 cm. After the seams have hardened, they must be additionally glued with strips of a similar or even thinner fabric so that there is an overlap of at least 2-3 cm. First, we glue from the inside of the balloon and then outside.
In total, for the manufacture of balloons with our own hands, we need about 20 square meters of fabric. Such a piece will cost you about 9000 rubles, plus others Consumables, it turns out that the construction of this swimming facility will cost us approximately 15,000 rubles.
You also need to remember to pre-glue the parts of the tube cylinder with flanges so that you can fill them with air so that the tube is directed from above into the inside of the catamaran, so it will be more convenient to fill with air.
The weight of one cylinder without air, made from such a fabric, is only 1 kg. If you want a higher strength design, the cylinders can be made from the gas tank fabric used in steel mills to store pressurized oxygen.

Making a frame for a catamaran

The frame of a catamaran is its foundation, so it is important that it is strong and reliable. Its transverse elements must be spaced, depending on how many people are planned to be transported on this do-it-yourself catamaran.
In the manufacture of the frame, we recommend using duralumin tubes with an outer diameter of 22 mm and a wall thickness of 1 mm. It is especially good to use them for installing cross members, because they must have high rigidity. For example, a pvc catamaran frame includes 4 longitudinal elements and up to 10 cross members. The attachment of the valleys is carried out to the floats, at a distance of a part of the circumference of the float from each other. Some install only 2 valleys (one for each float) - this can significantly reduce the weight of the craft. However, even in this situation, the fixing of the floats should be carried out in parallel and separated from each other by 1/6 of the outer diameter of the float.
One meter of the dural pipe we need costs 250 rubles, and in total we need about 25 meters of such pipes, which will cost 6250 rubles.
Attachment of the longitudinal elements is carried out to the outer marking line with respect to the longitudinal axis of the catamaran, and is attached to the crossbars along the inner line. Thanks to this, it is possible to achieve stabilization of the float on the frame. As a rule, when making a frame with your own hands, the longitudinal elements are made shorter than the floats by 0.5-1.5 m, this makes it easier for them to go on the wave, making the meeting with it softer.

Plastic pipe catamaran

Do you want to learn how to make a homemade catamaran from plastic pipes with your own hands? Then read this article carefully.
We will use plastic sewer pipes, the diameter of which is 110-116 mm and 3 meters each. For each of the floats - 5 pipes, three pipes go to the top, and two to the bottom. These pipes are connected to each other using angles or tees, in general, there are many mounting options. Between themselves, the floats are connected by transitions from pipes with a diameter of 50 mm.
Meter cost plastic pipe, with a diameter of 110 mm, on average, is 350 rubles. And the same pipe, but with a diameter of 50 mm, will cost you about 100 rubles. meter. Therefore, on average, before building such a catamaran, you need to have a budget of 10,000 rubles.

The girls took off their tights and there was a noticeable smell of spring in the air, soon the reservoirs will be free of ice and the water season for home-made swimming equipment will begin.
In today's article, I propose to start making a homemade catamaran.
Such a catamaran is easy to transport on the trunk of a car, it does not need to be registered as it is not a rowing boat because it has a pedal drive.

It is convenient to fish from a home-made catamaran - it is very difficult to turn it over, a high chair allows you to stretch your legs or pull them under you, you can fish standing on a catamaran without fear of falling into the water from the breeze.

In general, there are only solid pluses, so we look at the drawings of the catamaran and, having taken the materials, we begin to make a watercraft with our own hands.

The catamaran is assembled from two hollow floats, having a length of 3000 mm with a width of 200 and a height of 250 mm each. The floats are interconnected by a bridge made of duralumin corners 30X30 mm (crossbars) and 20X20 (longitudinal connections), riveted into one piece. The bridge is equipped with a driver's seat 7, foot drive pedals 4, a chain drive with an intermediate sprocket (node ​​3) and a propeller - a paddle wheel (node ​​4) with six plates (blades), closed from above with a metal casing. To control the rudders 13, a handle 6 is installed under the driver's left hand. By moving the handle, the catamaran turns to the right, by moving it to the left. Big square The interconnected rudders makes the catamaran very manoeuvrable.

The floats have a frame of nine rectangular frame frames (they can be made either from wood or from aluminum corner) and four longitudinal elements (stringers) located at the corners of the frames. In front and behind the floats end with straight stems. The frame is so simple in design that it can be assembled even without a slipway, on a flat floor or big table. Sheathing (in the event that the frame is metal) should be made of light-alloy sheet material. It is installed on rivets, with a gasket along the seam of a sealing tape (in the absence of a special tape, you can use a household cotton tape with a grease with thick oil paint). First, the bottom is riveted, then the sides. After that, the float from the inside must be puttied at the seams and painted. Lastly, a deck is placed on M5 screws with countersunk heads (near the inspection hatches, where you can put your hand inside, the deck should be riveted).

After stripping, the finished floats are carefully puttied at the seams and painted in the desired color. Before painting, the metal surface must be degreased and treated with fine sandpaper.

In the case of the manufacture of wooden floats, the frame frames are assembled from pine bars 35X15 mm on scarves. Longitudinal stringers made of pine with a section of 20X20 mm can be attached to the frames with screws or strong nylon threads with epoxy glue. The latter method is very simple and does not weaken the structure at all, besides giving some weight savings.

Sheathing of a wooden frame is made of three-layer plywood 2-3 mm thick, on epoxy or casein glue. The direction of the layers - along the bottom and sides - is longitudinal, along the deck - transverse. Plywood is pressed with thin nails and screws 15X2.5 mm.

The finished float is carefully cleaned and glued with one layer of fiberglass on epoxy resin. If these materials are not available, you can use ordinary cotton calico by gluing it with nitro glue. Before gluing, all corners and edges of the body of the floats should be slightly rounded with a bastard file so that the fabric does not rub longer during operation.

As practice has shown, a bicycle catamaran is especially convenient for fishermen and hunters: it is very stable, easily passes through dense thickets of aquatic plants, is completely silent and hardly noticeable on the water. From it you can make long casts with a spinning rod, catch with float rods, mormyshka and mugs. It is transported on a standard, manufactured by the industry, roof rack. For this, it is installed wooden frame with linings made of foam rubber or porous rubber, on which the bike rests with the bottoms of the floats. Fastening to the trunk is carried out with hooks with clasps of the gramophone type. This design allows without special efforts put and remove it from the trunk with two people. To prevent unnecessary air resistance during transportation, the driver's seat is made removable, and the control handle is folding.

When building a bike catamaran, most of the metal parts can be made by hand or you can use some standard bicycle parts that are sold in stores.

G. OVCHINNIKOV, engineer

Bicycle catamaran: 1 - deck, 2 - side stringer, 3 - frame frame beam, 4 - drive sprocket with pedals, 5 - drive chain, 6 - steering wheel control knob, 7 - driver's seat, 8 - seat back strut, 9 - propeller cover wheels, 10 - tie rod, 11 - steering head, 12 - tie rod, 13 - steering wheel.

Details of the chain drive: node 1 - fastening of the pedal pylon to the bridge, node 2 - section along the axis of the pedals, node 3 - section along the OSB of the intermediate carriage, node 4 - section along the axis of the paddle wheel.

Hull section A - A: 1 - float frame frame, 2 - transverse connection (corner 30X30), 3 - longitudinal connection (corner 20X20), 4 - T-shaped spars.

Body section B - B: 1 - float, 2 - paddle wheel casing, 3 - paddle wheel plate (blade), 4 - drum axis, 5 - driven sprocket.

Source: "Modeler-Constructor" 1975, No. 9

The asshole comments:

Damn, shitty note

Lo comments:

Dear Respect

The constructor comments:

Modeler-Designer is an excellent magazine!

Anton comments:

This catamaran is only suitable for children
from 10 to 15 years old.
And for adults, you need more than 3 times.

comments:

Fucking commentators, they themselves did nothing, but here, well, everything is dirty

Artem comments:

I agree! If you criticize - show how you can do better!

Andrew comments:

Now you don’t have to bother with plywood, it’s enough to cut insulation from foam panels, such as foam. You can take 5 cm wide and cut out the blanks of the sides and glue them together.

For strength, glue on top with fiberglass on epoxy or yacht varnish.

In places of fastening - you can use pads made of waterproof plywood or plastic.

Fishing becomes comfortable and productive when using swimming facilities that allow you to fish anywhere in the river and quickly move around the reservoir. A catamaran for fishing is especially popular among lovers of quiet hunting.

The advantage of a catamaran is the light weight of the structure, it can be transported by passenger vehicles. Inflatable models are packed in a special backpack, non-disassembled parts are fixed on the roof of the car. Models are easy to move at any speed and stable on the waves.

A popular means for fishing is catamarans for fishing under a motor. It allows you to expand the range of fishing spots, you can choose the best sites for biting. Assembly and disassembly of a catamaran is within the power of one person: its parts are assembled within half an hour, which makes the vehicle mobile and convenient.

The deck is half a meter above the water surface, which saves fishermen from waves, and rainfall does not accumulate inside the frame. Water does not need to be scooped out, it drains into the deck gaps, making it convenient to wash the catamaran. From below, inflatable catamarans are protected by a bar from rubbing against the surface of the bottom or shore of a reservoir.

The main advantages of a catamaran-type vessel are:

• high stability of the frame;
• spacious and high deck;
• large load capacity;
• solid bottom;
• large air compartments;
• easy assembly and disassembly;
• easy care and washing from dirt;
• safety of use.

Specifications

The catamaran consists of two air tanks and a frame, which can be inflatable or rigid, made of aluminum. In the assembled state, the entire structure fits in a backpack, which is convenient for transportation.

The weight of the craft often does not exceed 20 kg. Motor catamarans heavier, as they have a stronger base, but their designs also use lightweight materials. The dimensions of the products are different, they reach a length of 4-6 meters.

Sustainability

The catamaran is a stable structure, it easily rises on the wave, receiving a minimum of shocks. The formation of splashes is small at any speed, which is comfortable for passengers. With a wave height of 0.5 m, the stability of the structure is superior to other models. Catamarans are stable on the course, easily maintain a given trajectory.

The floating craft is able to withstand the impact of external forces, its lateral stability resists the forces of the overturning moment. Longitudinal stability resists piles on the stern or bow - longitudinal overturning moment (flip over the stern). A large distance between the cylinders and the correct distribution of weight increase the stability of the product.

The safety of a catamaran is greater than that of boat models. The stability of its design is much higher. Coups of boats are possible when loaded on board, which often happens when fishing for fish, when the boat rolls. Using inflatable structures, even several people can be on the same board without the danger of it rolling and overturning. This craft cannot be capsized or sunk.

usable space

Catamarans are much wider than single-hull models, resulting in almost twice the usable space of boats. Decks with a width of 2 m can be from 2.5 to 4 m long; an awning or tent is installed on a large area.

Fishermen place a table and chairs (armchairs) on the deck platform, as well as fishing equipment and everything necessary for the trip. Sufficiently sized deck allows you to move freely inside the catamaran. Models have a comfortable tension or rigid deck, which accommodates from 2 to 10 passengers.

economy

Due to their design, catamaran models have reduced drag. Their weight is divided among the air hulls, which creates little drag compared to boats. The speed of a catamaran is 20-40% higher than that of a boat with the same load.

Catamarans accelerate to 20-25 km / h using smaller engines that consume little fuel. The fuel consumption of these models is one third lower than that of boats. Fishing models have a transom for motors up to 10 hp, but they often use small motors from 2 to 5 hp.

load capacity

A loaded watercraft can sink below the optimum depth, but the catamaran will only worsen its speed characteristics from overload: in order for it to sink, the load must be three times the carrying capacity. This means that with a carrying capacity of 500 kg, an overload of up to 1500 kg will be critical for this watercraft.

Catamaran facilities have a carrying capacity of 300 to 500 kg, the load does not affect its stability and speed. Despite their low weight, the models have a large carrying capacity; they can carry boxes for transporting catch, fishing gear and many other necessary goods. The number of passengers is from 2 to 10 people. Unsinkability during overloads is a great advantage of a catamaran design compared to boat models.

Maneuverability

Maneuverability of the vessel - its agility when maneuvering to the right or left of the geometric center of the structure and the possibility of reverse movement. Catamaran structures have good maneuverability - the speed of turning and returning to its original position. Pumped bow and stern increase the maneuverability of the vessel.

Types of catamarans

Types of catamarans differ in the technical solution of the parts of the vessel:

• deck arrangements;
• installation of transverse beams for floor rigidity (beams);
• supports different heights.

With flexible and rigid locker

The description of catamarans contains information about the materials for deck construction. The locker of a catamaran can be flexible and rigid. Models with a flexible locker are easier to stack during assembly and transportation, while rigid structures are more reliable and more convenient to use, but take up a lot of space during transportation.

The tension deck is made of PVC fabric, sheathed around the perimeter with slings with loops for attaching to the frame. The boom of these catamarans is of medium thickness, the air valve is near the stringer, the fasteners are cross-shaped. V flexible types the material used is polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with a high density of 800 g/sq.m. Large cylinders can be installed on these models.

Rigid locker structures are made of boards, plywood and other dense but lightweight materials. Two supports are attached under the model, the cylinders are located on different sides of the stringer, the density of the used PVC materials— 700 g/sq.m. Supports are attached above the firmware, air valves - above the boom. There are options with stocks, the cylinders in which are installed above the boom. On ships with a rigid locker, they fish in shallow water.

Models for two and three beams

Catamaran models for fishing have two or three beams that serve to strengthen the structure. The higher the frame security, the greater the passenger capacity and other technical characteristics.

Models for two beams - for two passengers. Supports are installed at a low height. Carrying capacity - up to 300 kg, vessel length - up to 3.4 m, stringer diameter - 1.3 mm, rubber patches on cylinders, fastening - in the form of crosses. Can be equipped with flexible lockers. These designs are in demand among fishermen.

Three-beam catamarans are four-seater. Load capacity - up to 500 kg, air valves - near the stringer. The lockers are rigid, sometimes the boom is rubber. Variants of a vessel with two pillars are popular. These swimming aids are made of high density materials.

With low and high support

Supports of different heights affect the installation of motors of different power. Small models have low technical parameters, large-sized ships with powerful motors have higher quality characteristics.

Models with low mounts are designed to install low-power motors. Their carrying capacity is 300 kg, air cylinders have a small diameter. It is possible to use rubber booms and stocks. Stringers are attached to PVC overlays.

To use powerful motors, catamarans with high supports are produced. These models have a rigid aluminum frame, large-diameter cylinders (density - 800 g / sq.m), stringers 1.4 mm thick. The supports are additionally fixed with stretch marks. The length of such a catamaran reaches 4 meters.

Inflatable catamarans

When moving, an inflatable catamaran comes into contact with water only with cylinders, the deck and frame remain above its surface. This reduces water resistance and increases speed. Now for these structures, balloon chambers with high pressure(250–300 mbar), in the manufacture of which reinforced PVC materials are used.

The use of single-layer cylinders made of durable materials reduces the weight of the craft and increases their rigidity. Inflatable catamaran models expand the possibilities of fishermen, with their help, users of a collapsible vessel get into the most inaccessible places of the reservoir, delivering the craft to the shore by private vehicles.

How to build a do-it-yourself catamaran with a motor

Only a good craftsman can design such a craft on his own. But sometimes a do-it-yourself catamaran becomes better than the factory version, the owner has the opportunity to adjust the parameters and characteristics of the vessel to suit his needs.

First, the future model is designed: its detailed drawings are created, after which general drawing is divided into separate drawings of all parts of the vessel. Then a frame is made (usually from duralumin). The next stage is the manufacture of air cylinders from durable PVC, of ​​specified dimensions (3.5–4 m long). Cylinders are supplied with valves for pumping air.

In a homemade version, you can install ballers with a stretch. The assembly of the structure is completed with the installation of stringers and decks. An important design stage is to check all parts of the craft for reliability. Particular attention should be paid to the tightness of the air cylinders. A high-quality homemade catamaran is always the pride of the owner.

First you need to decide what tasks your catamaran will solve. It's one thing if you need it on mountain rivers, and quite another if you are going to sail it on large water bodies. Features of using a catamaran most directly affect its design.

Choosing a prototype to build

The most correct option when building a catamaran is to choose as a prototype an existing self-built catamaran that best suits your size and purpose. Drawings of such catamarans are easy to find on the net.

You can modify the selected prototype in the way you need, but the design of the main load-bearing elements should not be changed. Usually catamarans offered for self-build, have already been reproduced in a sufficiently large number of copies, the design is well developed and it is not worth changing it unnecessarily.

Building a catamaran

The basis of the catamaran is the frame of their aluminum pipes, to which the cylinders are attached. Inflatable balloons have a two-layer design: on the outside, a cover made of tarpaulin or other durable fabric, it bears the main load. Cylinders are inserted inside, in the simplest case they can be made of polyethylene sleeve. Their task is to hold air, so the internal configuration is not so important. In size, they must necessarily be larger than the outer durable cover. For safety, it is better to make internal cylinders from several separate sections, in this case, in case of an accidental puncture, the catamaran will stay afloat.

To assemble a catamaran, use only stainless steel fasteners, this will save you a lot of problems. Pay special attention to the fastening of the cylinders - they should not rub against metal parts. If the balloon rubs somewhere, then on the waves it will rub off very quickly, with all the unpleasant consequences that follow from this.

If the catamaran is equipped with a mast, it is advisable to provide safety mechanisms that automatically etch the sheets when a certain force is reached. This is due to the fact that an overturned catamaran is almost impossible to turn back, and in case of strong sudden squalls, it is not always possible to release the sheets in time - just a few seconds are enough for the catamaran to capsize or remain with a broken mast. Therefore, you should worry about safety in advance.

Don't skimp on materials. Use high quality aluminum pipes, good materials for cylinders and fastening belts. Take care about the convenience for the crew - it should be convenient and safe to move around the catamaran, so make at least a small deck, the space between the cylinders in the bow and stern should be tightened with a strong mesh that can withstand the weight of a person.

Remember that on an inflatable catamaran, it is the punctures of the cylinders that are the main problem. Therefore, make sure that a single puncture does not become fatal for your building, and the design of the catamaran allows you to perform any necessary repairs as soon as possible.