Raft
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Traditional raft, from 1884 edition Huckleberry Finn and Jim |
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Children successfully test their raft, in Brixham harbour, south Devon, England. The raft is made from wooden poles, rope and blue barrels. |
A
raft is any flat floating structure for travel over water. It is the most basic of
boat design, characterized by the absence of a
hull. Traditional or primitive rafts are constructed of wood or reeds. Modern rafts use durable, multi-layered rubberized fabrics. Depending on its use and size, it may or may not have a superstructure, masts, or rudders. Rafts are kept afloat using any combination of buoyant materials such as
wood, sealed barrels, or inflated air chambers.
The type of raft used nowadays for recreational
rafting is almost exclusively an
inflatable boat, manufactured of flexible materials for use on
whitewater.
*
Thor Heyerdahl*
Lifeboat*
Rafting*
The Raft of the MedusaRaft by
Stephen Baxter
