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Raft

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For other uses, seeRaft (disambiguation).
Traditional raft, from the 1884 edition ofAdventures of Huckleberry Finn

Araftis any flat structure for support or transportation over water.[1]It is usually of basic design, characterized by the absence of ahull.Rafts are usually kept afloat by using any combination of buoyant materials such aswood,sealedbarrels,or inflated air chambers (such aspontoons), and are typically not propelled by an engine. Rafts are an ancient mode of transport; naturally-occurring rafts such as entwined vegetation and pieces of wood have been used to traverse water since the dawn of humanity.

Human-made rafts[edit]

Further information:Pre-Columbian rafts
Sketch by F.E. Paris (1841) showing construction of a native Peruvian balsa raft

Traditional or primitive rafts were constructed of wood, bamboo orreeds;early buoyed or float rafts use inflated animal skins or sealed clay pots which are lashed together.[2]: 15, 17, 43 Modern float rafts may also usepontoons,drums,orextruded polystyreneblocks.[citation needed]Inflatable rafts up to the 20th century used flotation chambers made of goat- or buffalo-skins, but since then have mostly used durable, multi-layered rubberized fabrics. Depending on its use and size, it may have asuperstructure,masts, or rudders.

Timber raftingis used by theloggingindustry for the transportation of logs, by tying them together into rafts and drifting or pulling them down a river.[citation needed]This method was very common up until the middle of the 20th century but is now[when?]used only rarely.

Lumber raftson the Peter I Canal. Early 20th-century picture byS. Prokudin-Gorsky.

Large rafts made ofbalsalogs and using sails for navigation were important in maritime trade on the Pacific Ocean coast of South America from pre-Columbian times until the 19th century. Voyages were made to locations as far away as Mexico, and many trans-Pacific voyages using replicas of ancient rafts have been undertaken to demonstrate possible contacts between South America andPolynesia.[3]

The type of raft used for recreationalraftingis almost exclusively aninflatable raft,manufactured of flexible materials for use onwhitewater.

Natural rafts[edit]

Inbiology,particularly inisland biogeography,non-manmade rafts are an important concept. Such rafts consist of matted clumps ofvegetationthat has been swept off the dry land by astorm,tsunami,tide,earthquakeor similar event; in modern times[when?]they sometimes also incorporate other kind offlotsam and jetsam,e.g. plastic containers. They stay afloat by its naturalbuoyancyand can travel for hundreds, even thousands of miles and are ultimately destroyed bywaveaction anddecomposition,or make landfall.[citation needed]

Rafting events are important means ofoceanic dispersalfor non-flying animals. For smallmammals,amphibiansandreptilesin particular, but for manyinvertebratesas well, such rafts of vegetation are often the only means by which they could reach and – if they are lucky – colonizeoceanicislandsbeforehuman-built vehicles provided anothermode of transport.[citation needed]

Image gallery[edit]

  • Three Arks for a log drive on Pine Creek, in Lycoming or Tioga County, Pennsylvania. The left ark was for cooking and dining, the middle ark was the sleeping quarters and the right ark was for the horses. The arks were built for just one log drive and then sold for their lumber. The line of the Jersey Shore, Pine Creek and Buffalo Railway can be seen on the eastern shore: the mountainside behind it is nearly bare of trees from clearcutting.[4]
    Three Arks for a log drive onPine Creek,in Lycoming or Tioga County, Pennsylvania. The left ark was for cooking and dining, the middle ark was the sleeping quarters and the right ark was for the horses. The arks were built for just one log drive and then sold for their lumber. The line of the Jersey Shore, Pine Creek and Buffalo Railway can be seen on the eastern shore: the mountainside behind it is nearly bare of trees from clearcutting.[4]
  • Raft carrying visitors to Tom Sawyer Island at Disneyland, about 1960
    Raft carrying visitors toTom Sawyer IslandatDisneyland,about 1960
  • People on the raft in Estonia, 1944
    People on the raft inEstonia,1944
  • Raft used to ferry vehicles at Citarum River, Karawang, West Java, Indonesia
    Raft used to ferry vehicles atCitarum River,Karawang, West Java, Indonesia
  • Rafting on the Dunajec River at Pieniny, about 2005–2010
    Rafting on theDunajec RiveratPieniny,about 2005–2010
  • A woman using a raft to transport her daughter and goats
    A woman using a raft to transport her daughter and goats

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^G. & C. Merriam Co.,Websters New Collegiate Dictionary,1976,ISBN0-87779-339-5
  2. ^McGrail, Sean (2014).Early ships and seafaring: water transport beyond Europe.Barnsley: Pen and Sword Books Limited.ISBN9781473825598.
  3. ^Smith, Cameron M. and Haslett, John F. (1999), "Construction and Sailing Characteristics of a Pre-Columbian Raft Replica",Bulletin of Primitive Technology,pp. 13–18
  4. ^Thomas T. Taber, III,Williamsport Lumber Capital,1995, p. 13

External links[edit]

Look upraftin Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Wikimedia Commons has media related toRafts.
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