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How to Build Dredge Pontoons

Search for gold and other minerals in water bodies by floating your dredge on homemade dredge pontoons. Dredges are excavation machines that are used to scrape the bottoms of ocean, lake or river beds. They sit on top of two parallel pontoons that are spaced apart so that the dredge's mechanical components hang between them in the water. These pontoons are often welded together out of steel and then coated with a paint that prevents rust buildup. Dredge pontoons can be made out of metal, plastic or foam; however, metal pontoons are the most durable. A set of manageable pontoons will be 10 feet long and will be able to support most recreational dredges.

Things You'll Need

Safety glasses
Tape measure
Welding gloves
Welding jacket
Welding face shield
Square
Wire wheel
Arc welder
Welding rods, 1/8-inch, 6013
8 steel sheets, 1/4-by-24-by-120 inches
4 steel sheets, 1/4-by-24-by-24 inches
Rust-resistant paint

Instructions

- 1
  Buff the edges of each steel plate using the wire wheel. This will allow you to get a clean weld for the dredge pontoons.
- 2
  Position the 120-inch edges of two 24-by-120-inch steel sheets against each other at a right angle using a square, so the 24-inch edges are flush. Weld the sheets together in this position. Repeat this step three more times. Each of the corner sections are one-half of your two pontoons.
- 3
  Position two corner pieces against each other so you have a 24-by-24-by-120-inch square tube. Weld the two corner sections together in this position. Repeat this step with the other two corner sections. These are the frames to your dredge pontoons.
- 4
  Weld a 24-by-24-inch plate on the end of each pontoon frame so the corners are flush. Coat your pontoons with rust-resistant paint. This will prevent rust and leaks with your pontoons.
- 5
  Float the pontoons in the water so they are parallel and space them according to how wide the supports on your dredge are. The mechanical portion of your dredge needs to fit between the pontoons.

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