# Who wants to float down the Mississippi this summer?



## Matt Derrick (Apr 1, 2014)

images above borrowed from http://wewillnotdrown.blogspot.pt

Ok, so we've all heard about it, we all want to do it, but who's ready to make something like this happen?

I've been talking to some folks and the idea came up (again) and I'm thinking, "why not"? I mean, how much money would it take? If the budget was $3,000, that should be plenty enough to get all the materials needed to build a barge of some kind and we had 6 people covering that it would only be $500 bucks a person.

I figure the trip from Minneapolis to New Orleans would take about 2-3 months, and we could make any stops we wanted to along the way. There's a ton of logistics to work out, sure, but it sounds pretty doable, so I thought maybe we could make an StP crew out of it. So what I'm curious about right now is who would be interested in something like this?

I'm looking for people that are serious about making this happen. Please post your interest or questions about how we would make this work.


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## Tude (Apr 1, 2014)

Gawd that looks like a crap load of fun. Unfortunately I can only travel infrequently and love it - but that LOOKS AWESOME!!! Hopefully this gets off the ground!!


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## Kim Chee (Apr 1, 2014)

I'm not too far from Minn right now. Timeline?


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## Matt Derrick (Apr 1, 2014)

july-ish at the latest.


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## Kim Chee (Apr 1, 2014)

I'd like to go! I don't have much rafting experience, but have those other sought after abilities.


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## Matt Derrick (Apr 1, 2014)

what abilities might those be?


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## Bone Nails (Apr 1, 2014)

What are you looking for in a crew my friend? (I ask because I'm backpacking this summer, and I'd love doing something like this. One con though, I can't swim.)


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## janktoaster (Apr 1, 2014)

Damn, I was planning on grabbing a cheap canoe and paddling down it this summer, but this looks sounds like a hell of a lot more fun. I have some experience sailing (lakes and bays, mainly) and probably 1000+ miles of canoeing experience from various trips around the Adirondacks, Vermont, and Verendrye (in Quebec)


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## Kim Chee (Apr 1, 2014)

Matt Derrick said:


> what abilities might those be?



I can swim! ...and even keep another afloat. I can hammer nails, am well-versed at teamwork, coachable, and can land an airplane. I also know how to cook and clean. I am very responsible.


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## janktoaster (Apr 1, 2014)

Oh, I'm also CPR certified and I have my lifeguard certification but I think that expires this month


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## landpirate (Apr 1, 2014)

This excites and terrifies me in equal measures. I can swim, I am very good at drinking rum and I can play drunken sailor on the guitar!

Does it have an engine or is powered by the wind?

Can you just sail a crazy looking vessel like that down a river without getting pulled over by the river police? (I am aware there might not actually be river police) What I mean is, do you need permits or licences or anything?

and how likely is death by drowning in this situation? Because although I've not been there I was under the impression the Mississippi was a big ass river.


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## iamwhatiam (Apr 1, 2014)

Bone Nails said:


> What are you looking for in a crew my friend? (I ask because I'm backpacking this summer, and I'd love doing something like this. One con though, I can't swim.)



hah! matt didn't know how to swim either until recently so i'm sure he could help you learn::woot::


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## EphemeralStick (Apr 1, 2014)

Im also curious about permits and licensing stuff. I'm crafty as hell and can make all manner of things that can be useful. If i did tag along I'd probably cut out at some point to get back to my alter ego.

Is the raft pictured your vessel? Or do you need to make one from the ground up? what kind of supplies would be needed to build one?


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## tyler harmon (Apr 1, 2014)

i would but as you know i have other plans for now. that has been an en devour i have that about for a while and even researched at times but never followed it through. post lot of pics and videos and let us know how it goes!!!!!!!


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## suzie fox (Apr 2, 2014)

hahahahahahahahahaha

this is why i love you guys on sTp 

this has been my life's dream ever since heading the doobies' black water..
lyric for lyrics, so
after this raft-building,
will there also be stops enough for time to dance some honky-tonk
buy everybody a round
and to take pretty mamas by the hand

yes BY'S!


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## MolotovMocktail (Apr 2, 2014)

This sounds awesome! I totally want in. I'm pretty good at building stuff and cooking and have a beard that looks vaguely nautical.


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## smk1620 (Apr 3, 2014)

hell yea ive been talkin about doin that for years ... just had no idea anyone else had any interest in it id be down reguardless of the legality and permits hell ill take a log if I have to huck finn style all day


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## MolotovMocktail (Apr 3, 2014)

Did a little bit of Googling and found this FAQ:

"Can I make it down the river in a raft/pontoon/houseboat/sailboat?
If you're planning to sit back and just drift down the river, you're out of luck. Locks and dams on the Upper River, and frequent strong winds on the whole river make drifting with the current a rare occurrence. Even in the areas where you do find a strong favorable current, you need to be able to control your craft to keep out of the way of towboats and other hazards. Sailing is probably possible in some areas, but I would want to have my engine in good operating condition. "

Bummer.

EDIT: Conflicting opinions:
"Can anyone ‘boat, raft, canoe, or kayak’ the Mississippi River?
With good sense, yes. Recreational boating on the Mississippi is an everyday occurrence, yet be advised that the river from Minneapolis to the Gulf of Mexico is alive and active with large commercial barges maneuvered about by towboats – still, room remains for recreational vessels as well. Within the dynamics of the Mississippi challenges and hazards remain to contend – the weather, floating debris, commercial shipping, plus the ever tangible effects of mother nature’s wrath moving downstream can be contentious – or, it can be but a simple amusement."


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## Kim Chee (Apr 3, 2014)

Well, shit! Still sounds doable for the determined.

How about an STP pirate ship? Couple metal detectors, snorkels and cannon and we could probably colonize an island in the South Atlantic. 

I recall I do have some experience: I once sailed a log down the Willamette in Salem.


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## smk1620 (Apr 4, 2014)

about 7 of us paddled a 20 or so foot log around in a lake in Tennessee for so long I got sun poisioning it was great the law couldn't figure out what we were riding cuz it was submerged between our legs


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## janktoaster (Apr 4, 2014)

SUN POISONING SUCKS


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## Matt Derrick (Apr 6, 2014)

haha well damn, i didn't really expect such a huge response from this thread.

yes, this is something i want to do, and have always wanted to do for years, but after mulling it over for a while, i don't think it's something i can do this year.

i've been moving around way too much this year, and taking on way more than i am capable of, and it's been kinda screwing me up in a lot of different ways. so that said, i'm going to stick it out this summer in austin and make sure the stp book im working on gets finished asap.

now, that doesn't mean we shouldn't keep discussing this, since i think it has huge potential as an StP sponsored project, it just might have to wait until next spring?

for example, the talk about having a motor is something i hadn't really thought too much about, but i think is going to be a very necessary item. being able to dodge water traffic and other hazards is going to take something more than sticks to push into the water.

i've said the same about having a motor on a sailboat. especially if you're not an experience sailor, a motor is pretty much a must.

now with that said, a decent outboard isn't cheap, and now you have to consider fuel costs. i don't think you would have to be using the motor constantly (maybe 20-30% of the time?) so it wouldn't be a huge amount of money, but it's something to consider.

the second thing is where to build/setup the barge at? i don't personally know anyone in minneapolis (the most likely starting location) so i'm not sure how to handle that.

on the subject of barge design, i really like the pictures i linked to on the first post, it seems simple enough but would keep rain off and provide enough space to have a decent kitchen and space to sleep. i also think that mosquito nets are going to be pretty important if you want to be able to have a decent night's sleep.

but yeah, i think we should keep this discussion going and see if we can make something come out of it.


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## Kim Chee (Apr 6, 2014)

As great of an idea this is (I'd help)!

...still hopin' for an ocean worthy pirate ship with cannon.


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## MolotovMocktail (Apr 7, 2014)

Matt Derrick said:


> now with that said, a decent outboard isn't cheap, and now you have to consider fuel costs. i don't think you would have to be using the motor constantly (maybe 20-30% of the time?) so it wouldn't be a huge amount of money, but it's something to consider.


Maybe we could look into a biodiesel conversion?


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## Matt Derrick (Apr 12, 2014)

hmm i don't know of any diesel outboard motors. not any cheap ones anyways. i don't think gas would be ridiculously expensive... maybe 500 bucks for the whole trip? i'm not quite sure how to calculate that.


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## jaws (Apr 30, 2014)

count me in, I'm a good craftsman.


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## creature (Jun 15, 2014)

interesting...


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