This is my first barge so bare with me I am no pro. hehe





I hope this will make it self balasting and stable. Am I wrong?






Some styrofoam (I think thats the english term) painted black works as coal. The tuns are made from pencil sharpers covered with white and red tape. and then some dirty oil.





Now I need to work out what to use around it to make it soft when it crash into my tugboat. Any suggestions on what to use?

Corrugated strakes down the sides and front/back with tires would make that look like a work barge. You could also use windshield wipers as rubber strakes.

windshield wipers was a great tip for rubber strakes

I like the grubby-looking guy with the shovel---.

And are those bollards made from plastic push-pins?

Nice job, does need some tires.
Here's one I built for a customer, just a bit larger 24 x 60 inch. He's been pulling his grand kids around in it.

der kaptain: hehe yes they are. I use what I have. hehe

gill: thats a really nice one!

Sincerely,...

Push pins are a good step above "sheet rock screws".

Cut up bicycle tyres make interesting rubbing strips.

I was lucky as his tug is over 4 ft long. Plus the load he wanted. That Barg can carry over 70 lb.
Like I said a couple of tire and you've got a real nice barg.

I havent tried it on water yet. so I have no idea if it floats like I hope or if I need to do some adjustments.

Is there some cheap place on the net that sells downscaled tires and other stuff I need lots of in the future? (and ship internationally, I live in Norway)

arrow: cool. thanx for the tip. will check the local bicycle shop for old tires ready for the junk.

Proteque, I figured Norway from the newspapers you used to protect your work table. I can't read it very well, but my German background helps a bit. More so when I try to read Dutch---.

Ask Umi Ryuzuki, a member of this forum, about scale tyres and bumpers.

Here is a barge I built last winter, cut 4 holes in the bottom she fills with water, handles well, construction is 1x5's for the sides, 1/4 ply for bottom and ends, woodchip load is made from blue foam shaped , and covered with sawdust, hopper is 1/8 ply, Calley Graphics did the graphics, The tug is a Francis Smith plan.

I know that you can buy dyed ground cork (or Styrofoam, not sure which it is), that model railroaders use for track bed. Comes in a little bag good for stuff like that....
Foo

You could also just use model railroad "coal", cover the top of the styrofoam heap with glue and sprinkle the coal on it. I made my gravel barge using model railroad "ballast" for a stone load the same way. Everyone who sees the barge always has to touch the stones to feel if they are real or not. I used Scenic Cement, a clear drying, slightly flexible white glue for securing ballast to model railroad tracks. I think it doesn't dissolve nearly as quickly as regular white glue if it happens to get splashed a little.
I'll try to get a photo of the gravel barge posted on here a little later.
Large Mike

Nice looking barges!

I might be mistaken, but i thought sidelights (the red and green ones) aren't needed on a barge.
The barge only needs to have a white toplight, or when pushing several barges laying besides eachother 3 white lights in a triangle on the barge which is in front of the tugboat.
I thought that a vessel that is being towed also only needs a toplight.

Greetings Josse