Raft

Raft, simple platform, usually square or rectangular, that floats on water. One of the earliest forms of water travel, rafts originally were made from logs, reeds, or animals skins tied with vines. Today they are often constructed from synthetic materials that are inflated for buoyancy. Rafts travel on water currents, often aided by the use of poles, paddles or sails; they have been used as a means to cross wide rivers, such as the Mississippi. Adventurers, including Thor Heyerdahl of Norway (1947) and William Willis of the United States (1963–64) have successfully crossed oceans on simple rafts.