The Big
Johnson
C-757
"Spirit
of the River"
This is one of the noisiest
rafts out on the water during The Connecticut River Raft Race. We
have all kinds of noise makers mounted in various places. The 12
volt electric horns all run off a control unit known as the sonic effects
panel. This is a rack of ten switches made out of old clothes
pins and wire. This panel is mounted on the handlebars of an old
exercise bike that is bolted to the deck. This bike is the peddle
station where we spin up a submerged propeller. Besides running
the prop this peddle station also powers a heavy flywheel that smoothes
out the peddling. The prop unit was hand made by our very own Chief
Engineer Drew. He is the bearded one sitting on the bike.
Heidi, who is our Project Manager is the cutie on the left
waving to her fans. Captain Dave is in the middle and he is
busy preparing a red hocky horn for duty.
This raft is a fine example
of marine architecture. She has two pontoons, each constructed out
of five 55 gallon barrels that were welded together. The tips were squashed
flat to resemble a bow & stern. Everything is sealed up with
generous wadds of liquid nails construction adhesive. The deck is of corrugated
steel roofing and it is covered with a 6" layer of foam topped with plush
carpeting. The main propulsion for the raft is provided by a peddle powered
exercise bike linked to a hand made propeller. The prop is made out of
plate metal from a file cabinet drawer. A huge sail provides some extra
push when the wind is blowing right. There are two huge Viking oars to
use in an emergency, these are off limits to Captain Dave as he doesn't
do so well with them.
Particulars:
Length of Main Hull: about 16 feet
Hull Construction: Welded steel 55 gallon barrels sealed
with liquid nails
Weight of Entire Raft: about 1700 lbs
Deck Construction: Corrugated steel roofing covered with
foam & carpeting
Propulsion: Propeller run by an exercise bike
Noise Making Capabilities: 10 electric horns, bells, slide whistles,
hocky horns, and clicker clackers
Crew: 3