In this video I go over the actual welding of the HDPE and some of the methods and tools used. All links to items of purchase within the video are below.
Working g doing sewer bypasses I use a bunch of HDPE. Never gave it much thought to build a boat out of it that was not molded. I did repair my kayak where the keel had worn through from dragging it. I used a map touch and a plastic welder from harbor freight (glorified soldering iron) and a few pieces of a new 5 gallon bucket and had awesome results. I smoothed everything out with a millbastard fill then hit it with the torch to smooth it out.
This certainly isn't boring mate. Really appreciate that you are learning by doing and willing to share that. It popped up as a suggestion as I'm searching for plastic welding techniques. So the algo served me well here. Good luck, subbed.👍
I have been messing about on boats professionally for over five decades as a deck hand, vessel operator, boat repair guy and marine surveyor in the US. I absolutely love this project! I love the shoot from the hip, go for it, trial and error process you are undertaking. It is a great idea and I hope this thing really works out. Maybe on the next one add a couple longitudinal stringers on each side. I started building a small row boat last year from plans that stated it was a great first time boat, which it absolutely was not. Had to walk away from it for a spell. These videos have me ready to get back to it. Thanks! Can’t wait to see the rest of this build.
You could invest in a leister welder.not expensive but intended for what you're project needs.time saver and neat welds.all the best with your project.
Keep at it, the welding part was what I was really interested in and you delivered! Really hoping to see your project on the water soon! Cheers from Texas!
Thanks for the update, keep on posting, I'm watching from Jamaica 🇯🇲. I had considered building a HDPE boat too but the materials cost is too high here, it's actually cheaper to just fiberglass.
Both the filler rod and the work piece need to be at the correct temperature to allow very little pressure, hold the rod at rightangle to the work and allow the rod to collapse into the weld joint whilst proceeding forward. Cheers
Really cool project it has turned out nice to this point. I'm sure there's different methods and ways of doing this type of work. I'm most impressed by the fixturing and welding of the odd angled shapes. Nicely done.
just stumbled on your videos. I've thought about doing this since I was a kid but never really tried. you're literally living one of my childhood dreams making that boat. that thing is super awesome and I hope to see it on the water.
I forgot about this boat. It's great to get an update and see it coming together. When I first saw this, I thought it was excessive and probably weighs a ton, but then I thought about how indestructible this thing is going to be. This method would be great for a jetboat because it's tough enough to take heavy rock hits, but it would bounce back to its original shape rather than denting heavy aluminum plate. Looking forward to the next update in 2025🤣😘👏
This is extremely impressive and exciting. I have only seen this process used in roofing and making large tanks. I was thinking of building a massive depth filter for my terrible well water with this type of thing but I never thought of doing something fun like building a boat 😮 This gives me so much inspiration, you have a new subscriber 👌
I weld a LOT of HDPE and LDPE and ur not doing a bad job. I would suggest a hot stapler. They are dirt cheap and work a treat. You can staple them then grind the points off and weld over the top. It makes for an extremely strong joint.
ive been a plastic fabricator for the past 7 years building polypropylene fire tanks and am currently working on a boat build myself , id invest in a leister welder to go over those beads and get it water tight. or use a real hand torch made for plastic . the leister hand torches are like 500 bucks but i know those sheets of hdpe are big money so i wouldnt cheap out on what your sticking them together with .
Being a Boat Builder for 40 years, and involved in the plastic manufacturing industry, one question is something you might want to consider that could give you better welding results. Virgin or Raw palletized HDPE or High density as we call it by common name. If you place that in your cavity and simply heat it up, it should melt and fuse with your sheets. It is only as a filler, and not as a tack method. I always work with carbon fiber, fiberglass, steel, aluminum, and all types of plastics from acrylics to HDPE, PVC, Polycarbonate Styrenes, and about anything else. I am watching your progress and have subscribed. I do not know about Ultrasonic welding, I do have an Ultrasonic welding machine but that is strictly about fusing small styrene parts together and definitely not like a welding machine. You would know better. Personally, I would have taken an alu tube and rigged it with heating coils and a tip on it (or even a silicone gun with a modified tube) set the temperature, and melted some virgin. referring to an improvised heat gun. the amount of welding you need to do, and planning to do in the future it might be your answer
I would advise a good sanding and a thick layer of fibreglass after to hold the whole structure integrity in case of bad welding. But otherwise that is some DIY great idea to build your own boat 👍
I thought HDPE and Epoxy Resin don't really stick well together. The chemical make-up of HDPE doesn't really allow it. Sounds like a recipe for delamination.
I recommend a wood plane for shaving the pieces together for a butt weld. Not sure you have much of that left to do, though. The filler rod from your sheet stock is a good idea. Your sheet is likely a different grade of HDPE than the pipe. Pipe like that is typically made from a much stiffer (lower viscosity) than sheet goods. The sheet material should flow more easily when heated.
Hey mate ! Had a simlar idear year ago when i was repairing watertanks down under, we used 4mm pvc to line busted old watertanks and we had a welding gun what was feeding on thin pvc tube. Would make your work way more easy and the welds stronger and more accurad! I would love to build a catamaran out of it ! Greetings from Mr. B from germany
interesting material. I found a toxic capable HDPE barrel in the river, at the peak of an island where ice jams knock down everything...wedged in trees, full of water at 353 pounds. date stamp is 32 yrs old.. all it had was scratches. This made me curious.. kayaks are made of this too, smash into rocks and stuff. Hope you share it all done and floating.
For sure. Yes all kinds of things are made from HDPE and this project has me thinking of other ways to build using recycled items like HDPE barrels to Bottle caps.
Instead of using those heavy pipes, have you considered using thin hdpe sheets(like 1/8" an fashion tubes out of them, using a single straight weld? The final shape would be much lighter, and pressurizing it would give it rigidity.
I'd consider using Flex and Seal over all the interior welds as a backup. Waterproofs and is strong. I use it on the seams of older aluminum boats I've repaired with excellent results.
@@WoodLander- You use primer on the HDPE first and then use the tube sealant. Only takes a minute to apply, dries fast. Adheres very well. Bostik Seal N' Flex FC
It wouldn't hurt to fill the tubes with high density expanding foam it would add rigidity to the pipe so you wouldn't have any joint failure an would add very little extra weight
Interesting. I see your from Canada as well. Not sure how to contact you but I’m from BC and had a buddy that was building HDPE boats for the government agencies. If you ever want to chat I can give you some information on welding, design, flaws, and benefits of building HDPE boats.
Brother, you're having so much trouble because HDPE needs to be welded under CO2. Also, you should use round, preferably continuous rod going thru the tip that is made to join the rod and air-stream (or in this case, CO2 gas stream) together. You use the tip to PRESS the rod into the material. You want to weld it as cold as possible so it takes a lot of pressure. I used to take a BBQ fork, cut the tines down a bit, and put it right in the crux of the tip and press hard to get the rod to fuse with the material. Also, as far as your pontoons are concerned, there's really no reason to start with pipe as it's not a big deal to just weld up your own from flat sheet, unless you're going ridiculously thick. Additionally, I think you would probably have been much happier with a good skiff design (like a Sea Bright skiff) than a RIB. The thing that makes RIBs nice is they are SOFT sided. Otherwise they pound, are easy to flip, and just all around not very good boats. I did a shit-ton of welding plastic for circuit board shops and silicon foundries back in the early 1990's.
Oh, and if you're going to be welding thin material, use thin rod. Better to have to weld multiple times than try and shove a rod that's way too thick into the joint, as you'll have to get the thicker rod so hot it will liquefy the sheet beneath it you're trying to weld.
Nice idea .. it’s a job but a good one. One question.. do you make air vents in the tube sections. I’m almost sure over pressure due to temperature change will make the welds weak eventually.
Too strong... Really nice. What diameter do the pipes have? And can you also tell me the various thicknesses of both the tube and the plates? Thank you. Philip
This is an interesting idea. Not sure if it’s cost effective compared to a ready-made hdpc boat. I don’t think your welds will hold under stress. It looks like you a just melting the rod in the groove rather than fusing the rod, plate, & pipe material together.
Interesting, have you tried a Soldering Iron with a Wide Flat Tip made to Melt Plastic, they are available, but not that difficult to make, so you can push weld plastic into seams, like a trowel in brick mortar, Just a thought, not so sure on actual effectiveness ...
Very interesting! Any plans to foam fill the outer chambers? How thick are those sheets? I just looked up the cost of a 4x8 3/8ths inch sheet and it was less than I thought. $120.
I think your transom needs to be at least 3x thicker. On the bottom of the keel from the inside you should have put a smaller pipe to give it sturdiness. I feel like your keel and transom are overly weak.
I know this a dumb question. I know nothing of joining plastic via this process. Will rubber cement join the pipes, as long as there is a smaller pipe inside to make (for a lack of a better word) a flange? And does your process work for larger diameter, thickness plate? Is there a limit if how thick the material that your joining can be? Thanks for this series.
I don’t know the brand of HDPE. But I bought the sheets from a local supplier. Yes we did many welding tests prior to starting the project. I tried a few different welding techniques and tested them. That is how I found that this method was the strongest.
@@WoodLander- Thanks, not all hdpe is weldable like that. starboard is hdpe but i am not able to fuse weld it together, down hear in florida it is 130 a sheet.for welding rod you can try V-A Process inc. they have a 5 lbs minimum
I'm my personal experience these plastic welded HDPE items or bumpers are not strong at all. They have very poor flex when cold and Crack on the welds.
Use a hand plane for squaring up your cut faces, it shaves the plastic to an almost glass finish if your blade is sharp.
I learn a lot about ur work sir, especially hdpe...god bless sir...from Philippines
Working g doing sewer bypasses I use a bunch of HDPE. Never gave it much thought to build a boat out of it that was not molded. I did repair my kayak where the keel had worn through from dragging it. I used a map touch and a plastic welder from harbor freight (glorified soldering iron) and a few pieces of a new 5 gallon bucket and had awesome results. I smoothed everything out with a millbastard fill then hit it with the torch to smooth it out.
Not boring brother love to see this type of project
This certainly isn't boring mate. Really appreciate that you are learning by doing and willing to share that. It popped up as a suggestion as I'm searching for plastic welding techniques. So the algo served me well here. Good luck, subbed.👍
I have been messing about on boats professionally for over five decades as a deck hand, vessel operator, boat repair guy and marine surveyor in the US. I absolutely love this project! I love the shoot from the hip, go for it, trial and error process you are undertaking. It is a great idea and I hope this thing really works out. Maybe on the next one add a couple longitudinal stringers on each side. I started building a small row boat last year from plans that stated it was a great first time boat, which it absolutely was not. Had to walk away from it for a spell. These videos have me ready to get back to it. Thanks! Can’t wait to see the rest of this build.
You could invest in a leister welder.not expensive but intended for what you're project needs.time saver and neat welds.all the best with your project.
Your videos on this boat build, are really enjoyable to watch. Thanks for sharing and keep the videos coming!
Keep at it, the welding part was what I was really interested in and you delivered! Really hoping to see your project on the water soon! Cheers from Texas!
Thanks for the update, keep on posting, I'm watching from Jamaica 🇯🇲. I had considered building a HDPE boat too but the materials cost is too high here, it's actually cheaper to just fiberglass.
perfection is the enemy of good enough. I will be watching for the next one.
Thanks for the update! Can't wait to see the progress! This is a very exciting project.
Both the filler rod and the work piece need to be at the correct temperature to allow very little pressure, hold the rod at rightangle to the work and allow the rod to collapse into the weld joint whilst proceeding forward. Cheers
Really cool project it has turned out nice to this point. I'm sure there's different methods and ways of doing this type of work. I'm most impressed by the fixturing and welding of the odd angled shapes. Nicely done.
Hat is off to you. You are doing something no one else is doing. Looks good to me. Congratulations and thank you.
That algorithm has done well and brought me this channel. All hail the algorithm!
just stumbled on your videos. I've thought about doing this since I was a kid but never really tried. you're literally living one of my childhood dreams making that boat. that thing is super awesome and I hope to see it on the water.
I forgot about this boat. It's great to get an update and see it coming together. When I first saw this, I thought it was excessive and probably weighs a ton, but then I thought about how indestructible this thing is going to be. This method would be great for a jetboat because it's tough enough to take heavy rock hits, but it would bounce back to its original shape rather than denting heavy aluminum plate. Looking forward to the next update in 2025🤣😘👏
This is extremely impressive and exciting.
I have only seen this process used in roofing and making large tanks.
I was thinking of building a massive depth filter for my terrible well water with this type of thing but I never thought of doing something fun like building a boat 😮
This gives me so much inspiration, you have a new subscriber 👌
Excited to see this project develop. Thanks for sharing I'd love to build one of my own one day.
I weld a LOT of HDPE and LDPE and ur not doing a bad job.
I would suggest a hot stapler.
They are dirt cheap and work a treat.
You can staple them then grind the points off and weld over the top. It makes for an extremely strong joint.
I was thinking some metal reinforcements in the joints would be a good thing. Probably need some stainless steel staples.
Loving this mate. thought about making a kayak a while ago and you are answering all my questions.
ive been a plastic fabricator for the past 7 years building polypropylene fire tanks and am currently working on a boat build myself , id invest in a leister welder to go over those beads and get it water tight. or use a real hand torch made for plastic . the leister hand torches are like 500 bucks but i know those sheets of hdpe are big money so i wouldnt cheap out on what your sticking them together with .
Being a Boat Builder for 40 years, and involved in the plastic manufacturing industry, one question is something you might want to consider that could give you better welding results. Virgin or Raw palletized HDPE or High density as we call it by common name. If you place that in your cavity and simply heat it up, it should melt and fuse with your sheets. It is only as a filler, and not as a tack method. I always work with carbon fiber, fiberglass, steel, aluminum, and all types of plastics from acrylics to HDPE, PVC, Polycarbonate Styrenes, and about anything else. I am watching your progress and have subscribed. I do not know about Ultrasonic welding, I do have an Ultrasonic welding machine but that is strictly about fusing small styrene parts together and definitely not like a welding machine. You would know better. Personally, I would have taken an alu tube and rigged it with heating coils and a tip on it (or even a silicone gun with a modified tube) set the temperature, and melted some virgin. referring to an improvised heat gun. the amount of welding you need to do, and planning to do in the future it might be your answer
I would advise a good sanding and a thick layer of fibreglass after to hold the whole structure integrity in case of bad welding.
But otherwise that is some DIY great idea to build your own boat 👍
I thought HDPE and Epoxy Resin don't really stick well together. The chemical make-up of HDPE doesn't really allow it. Sounds like a recipe for delamination.
Looking forward to seeing it completed
dude this thing is gonna be sick! Can't wait to see it in the water!
Good one sir. I'm a fan of RIB boats .After seeing your video I might try building one with 200 ltr plastic barrels 😊
Nice work!!! Can't wait for her maiden voyage.
I recommend a wood plane for shaving the pieces together for a butt weld. Not sure you have much of that left to do, though.
The filler rod from your sheet stock is a good idea. Your sheet is likely a different grade of HDPE than the pipe. Pipe like that is typically made from a much stiffer (lower viscosity) than sheet goods. The sheet material should flow more easily when heated.
Great work!! Continue the series 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Hey mate ! Had a simlar idear year ago when i was repairing watertanks down under, we used 4mm pvc to line busted old watertanks and we had a welding gun what was feeding on thin pvc tube. Would make your work way more easy and the welds stronger and more accurad! I would love to build a catamaran out of it ! Greetings from Mr. B from germany
wild project! Looking forward to seeing more.
Looking forward to the next steps
interesting material. I found a toxic capable HDPE barrel in the river, at the peak of an island where ice jams knock down everything...wedged in trees, full of water at 353 pounds. date stamp is 32 yrs old.. all it had was scratches. This made me curious.. kayaks are made of this too, smash into rocks and stuff. Hope you share it all done and floating.
For sure. Yes all kinds of things are made from HDPE and this project has me thinking of other ways to build using recycled items like HDPE barrels to Bottle caps.
Instead of using those heavy pipes, have you considered using thin hdpe sheets(like 1/8" an fashion tubes out of them, using a single straight weld? The final shape would be much lighter, and pressurizing it would give it rigidity.
Yessss part2 💪🏻
project looks great, that welding looks painfully slow, but ya know what they say.....no pain, no gain!
I'd consider using Flex and Seal over all the interior welds as a backup. Waterproofs and is strong.
I use it on the seams of older aluminum boats I've repaired with excellent results.
HDPE is highly resistant to glues and most chemicals in general. That is why it must be fused with heat.
@@WoodLander- You use primer on the HDPE first and then use the tube sealant. Only takes a minute to apply, dries fast. Adheres very well. Bostik Seal N' Flex FC
Only use silicone-based products in a boating emergency.
Silicone is almost impossible to remove completely, from any surface.
@@Peter-jo3wt You're clearly not a seafarer.
@@frankdesbaux
You've clearly never painted a boat.
I thought about making one out of aluminum the same way very cool
It wouldn't hurt to fill the tubes with high density expanding foam it would add rigidity to the pipe so you wouldn't have any joint failure an would add very little extra weight
Interesting. I see your from Canada as well. Not sure how to contact you but I’m from BC and had a buddy that was building HDPE boats for the government agencies. If you ever want to chat I can give you some information on welding, design, flaws, and benefits of building HDPE boats.
This is really neat, and it has me wondering if you could build a boat like this with rigid foam insulation, and PMF.
Brother, you're having so much trouble because HDPE needs to be welded under CO2. Also, you should use round, preferably continuous rod going thru the tip that is made to join the rod and air-stream (or in this case, CO2 gas stream) together. You use the tip to PRESS the rod into the material. You want to weld it as cold as possible so it takes a lot of pressure. I used to take a BBQ fork, cut the tines down a bit, and put it right in the crux of the tip and press hard to get the rod to fuse with the material. Also, as far as your pontoons are concerned, there's really no reason to start with pipe as it's not a big deal to just weld up your own from flat sheet, unless you're going ridiculously thick. Additionally, I think you would probably have been much happier with a good skiff design (like a Sea Bright skiff) than a RIB. The thing that makes RIBs nice is they are SOFT sided. Otherwise they pound, are easy to flip, and just all around not very good boats.
I did a shit-ton of welding plastic for circuit board shops and silicon foundries back in the early 1990's.
Oh, and if you're going to be welding thin material, use thin rod. Better to have to weld multiple times than try and shove a rod that's way too thick into the joint, as you'll have to get the thicker rod so hot it will liquefy the sheet beneath it you're trying to weld.
Exelente saludos desde Chile 🇨🇱👏
I very much want to see how this turns out.
Nice idea .. it’s a job but a good one.
One question.. do you make air vents in the tube sections.
I’m almost sure over pressure due to temperature change will make the welds weak eventually.
Love the idea
Too strong... Really nice. What diameter do the pipes have? And can you also tell me the various thicknesses of both the tube and the plates? Thank you. Philip
Awesome. I love it.
My approach would have been to use many pop rivets to apply the flat sheets to the round pontoons and used weld only for water sealing.
looks awseome keep up the good work! keep having fun!
This is an interesting idea. Not sure if it’s cost effective compared to a ready-made hdpc boat. I don’t think your welds will hold under stress. It looks like you a just melting the rod in the groove rather than fusing the rod, plate, & pipe material together.
JB Weld to fill in the gaps and smooth it all off? Could possibly use it with some fiber type material to really strengthen the joints.
If you guys can figure a way to plastic Weld and fuse weld the piping I think it'll be a good idea for mass production good luck
Interesting, have you tried a Soldering Iron with a Wide Flat Tip made to Melt Plastic, they are available, but not that difficult to make, so you can push weld plastic into seams, like a trowel in brick mortar, Just a thought, not so sure on actual effectiveness ...
Really wish you filled the pontoons with closed cell foam.
I can't say why exactly...
For some reason my brain says it's just how it's supposed to be.
You're crazy. Love it.
DID YOU DO CHAMBERS?
Looking forward.
Have you considered using a 3d pen to weld the joints?
I may have missed it in part 1, but how much is this thing going to way when you are done?
Part 3 pls
Very interesting! Any plans to foam fill the outer chambers? How thick are those sheets? I just looked up the cost of a 4x8 3/8ths inch sheet and it was less than I thought. $120.
Ever consider drilling holes in your rib pieces for fuel lines or wiring or to reduce weight?
I think your transom needs to be at least 3x thicker. On the bottom of the keel from the inside you should have put a smaller pipe to give it sturdiness. I feel like your keel and transom are overly weak.
Thanks so much
I know this a dumb question.
I know nothing of joining plastic via this process.
Will rubber cement join the pipes, as long as there is a smaller pipe inside to make
(for a lack of a better word) a flange?
And does your process work for larger diameter, thickness plate?
Is there a limit if how thick the material that your joining can be?
Thanks for this series.
There are many different plastics. HDPE is what I am using and it is highly resistant to glues and chemicals in general.
Keep building
could you tell us what is the brand name of the hdpe and where you got it, thanks. also did you do a weld test?
I don’t know the brand of HDPE. But I bought the sheets from a local supplier. Yes we did many welding tests prior to starting the project. I tried a few different welding techniques and tested them. That is how I found that this method was the strongest.
@@WoodLander- Thanks, not all hdpe is weldable like that. starboard is hdpe but i am not able to fuse weld it together, down hear in florida it is 130 a sheet.for welding rod you can try V-A Process inc. they have a 5 lbs minimum
👍😎👍
What was the tool you used to score the inside corners?
Just a basic paint scraper tool
Wahoooo! 👍👍👍👍👍
Why didn't you just use the glue?
10 yrs too late, I borrowed a mates welder and every time I got it to heat it would blow the plastic away. Now all is revealed.
why not rent a hdpe extruder machnie?
How does hdpe compare to umhw?
UMHW is much heavier. Stronger but much heavier.
YA YOU ARE OUT IN THE WATER AND YOU TRUST THIS THING TO FLOAT
What does this build weight in at?
I'm my personal experience these plastic welded HDPE items or bumpers are not strong at all.
They have very poor flex when cold and Crack on the welds.
You're going to sink bro.
80 PERCENT VIDEO WATCHING YOU WELD GIVE ME A BREAK