Raft

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Traditional raft, from 1884 edition Huckleberry Finn and Jim

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.

See also

• Thor Heyerdahl
• Lifeboat
• Rafting
• The Raft of the Medusa
• Raft by Stephen Baxter

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