Need Advice with HDPE Houseboat Construction

[SNGPSo]

Hello everyone.

I am an architect, and I would like to make a houseboat on a budget with corrugated HDPE pontoons.

Here is a 3D render of what my aim is:



I am using a pontoon assembly similar to the one feature in this video:

Here is the overall assembly of my houseboat:



I just have a few questions about the corrugated HDPE pontoons:
- What thickness should they be?
- Can I fill them with foam for safety, in case the outer membrane of the pipes gets damaged?
- Or do I just partition the pipe from inside by welding HDPE walls?

This website shows the HDPE pipes being put to the test, and the pipes seem to be pretty strong against heavy impact. I also 'think' that the HDPE pipes are empty inside: https://isco-pipe.com/marine/

Any additional info about the corrugated HDPE pipes would be welcome!

Thanks

 

[southkogs]

I don't have any substantive answers for you aside from asking, are you wanting a houseboat that actually motors along? Or are you building a floating house?

Most of what I see built like you're suggesting are piers. I think you could get what you've got setup to move some, but I'm not sure how well it would steer.

Cool renderings though.

Welcome aboard.

 

[SNGPSo]

I want a floating house for now, but with the possibility of putting an engine in the future.

Thanks for the kind welcome

 

[southkogs]

A lot of piers here in Tennessee at our marinas are built like this. I think they're mostly using what are called "drums" and they are foam filled. Dunno' what the thickness is, but you can find them on the internet pretty easily. Some of the piers they build support a BUNCH of weight, so that data should be relatively easy to find.

What program did you do your renderings in? The water effect is nicely done ... I can't seem to get my horizons to work so well like that.

 

[SNGPSo]

I made the play in Revit and renderings in 3DSMax with Corona renderer... *cough cough* hehe.

The water is just a noise map plugged in the bump slot, and the horizon is just a quick HDRI map with spherical mapping. The trick is to tweak the position/rotation settings of the map until you get something that's plausible.

 

[southkogs]

I've only had to do a few renderings that need to look like they're outdoors, so I have only played so much with it. Most of mine are studio type setups. Been working in Blender for the last couple years ... I'm amazed at how capable it is.