Taigafloat

Hi all -

here's an email I wrote with the questions Lock, Muskrat, Walken and I
came up with regarding raft construction. I wanted to 1) see if anyone
has comments about the email before I start sending it to folks who
might have ideas for us and 2) send you the questions so you can send
them to anyone you think of. Also 3) say hi, I miss you, hope you are
all well. I'm not sure if everyone on this list is interested in doing
raft research, but I thought I'd send to everyone in case. hope july
has been beautiful wherever you are!
love,
Taiga
(email below)


Hi,

I'm part of a performance troupe hoping to build a raft and travel
down the Mississippi next summer, and possibly into the fall,
performing as we travel. We know of your project and were wondering if
you could help us with any advice about raft construction. We're just
starting to think about design and materials, and we've written up
some basic questions, but we'd love any advice you have.

1) Are you aware of any advantages or disadvantages to the barrel
flotation design vs. the wooden pontoon design?
2) Can you recommend a weatherproofing/waterproofing scheme for
structural elements or cabins?
3) Do you have any advice for maximizing maneuverability?
4) Do certain designs handle turbulence better than others?
5) What kind of motor do you suggest?
6) What structural elements are most vulnerable long-term, and how
would you plan for the decay/wear of those elements?
7) What do you think the viability of poling, rowing or sailing the
raft would be?
8) What sort of food storage or cooking equipment would you recommend?
9) What do you wish you had known before leaving that you learned along the way?
10) What other advice would you give?

Thanks so much for your help. We've also set up a website -
http://theunseenghostbrigade.blogspot.com/ - if you're interested in
the project. It's mostly just a means for us to communicate with each
other at this point, but it has our performance project proposal and
some other conceptual info.
Thanks so much!
-Taiga Christie
Taiga312@gmail.com
(650)814-55195519