One way is to get yourself a pontoon boat. Now, buying a pontoon boat might not be in your budget, but there are ways to get around that and still be able to enjoy the relaxing water experience with your family. All you need are a few pontoon boat parts and you will be enjoying yourself in no time at all.
Basically, a pontoon is a raft that has a cylindrical type float attached to the underside to help it float. You can create these floats, which are the most important part of the pontoon boat, with almost any kind of material that you may already have lying around your own house. These materials can range from anything like barrels or large pipes to boxes and plastic containers. As long as these materials are closed and air tight you should have no problems with getting them to float and keep your pontoon scuttling across the top of the water.
The next part you will need in creating your very own pontoon is the platform to which the floats are going to be attached to. This platform can be made from anything that is light weight and, yet, sturdy enough to hold you and your friends and family. Materials such as plywood or thin sheet metal will work out just fine; it all depends on how much money you are looking to spend. All you need after this is a small motor to get you moving around. A good outboard motor shouldn’t cost you very much at all.