Now you have made your deck raft, it’s time you make a sail.
This is an improvised sail using a plastic tarp with eyelets along the sides.
Children will need adult supervision and buoyancy aids are recommended. Watch out for underwater rocks, snags and animals as you enjoy your raft.
1. Make a notch 20–25cm (8–10in) deep into the central log of your deck, and around 5–7.5cm (2–3in) wide. This is the hole into which your mast will slot.
2. Find your mast – a green sapling that is 2.5–3m (8–10ft) long and 5–7.5cm (2–3in) wide, like the hole you have made. Shave and smooth the end of your mast until it sits snugly and firmly in the hole.
3. Lace up your tarpaulin along the mast, leaving an extra-long loop tied off around three tie-outs from the bottom.
4. Find a rod with a fork at one end to act as your diagonal brace. Fit the forked end into the long loop on the mast, and the other end into the upper corner of the outside of the sail.
5. Tie off another length of cord at the bottom corner to control the sail.
