"Panther Ray" - Berlin's recycling raft for all

Have you always wanted to see Berlin from the water and ride towards the sunset together with nice people? Are you looking for a new mobile platform for your crazy ideas, the next club meeting or your birthday party? How about a floating concert of your favorite band for spectators along the waterfront?

We want to do exactly this and build the “Panther Ray” with your support in late May 2015. The “Panther Ray” is the first raft that actively combines fun on the water, joint engagement, environmental awareness and transparency (open source).

This is how it will be like:

• Approximately 3.5 x 7 meters tall with space for up to 25 people (about ¼ of a volleyball court)
• Self-built from recycled materials
• With a net attached to the raft’s undercarriage to collect trash from Berlin’s waters
• With solar power and an outboard motor
• With a sun deck and small roofing
• With a stage, hi-fi equipment and a swing
• With a barbecue and a minibar
• With a centrally located berth in the Rummelsburger Bay in Berlin (which we already have)

Create a new platform for fun and actions on the river Spree:
The raft will be a retreat on the water from the city - a mobile oasis, where you can soak up fresh sea air or get to know new people. Here you can relax, dance, watch ducks, jump into the water, drink beer...But the “Panther Ray” will also be an unusual place for art and action. We are dreaming of small concerts for spectators along the waterfront, floating theater or political guerilla actions.

Start an open raft community:
The raft is a joint project: Instead of Do-It-Yourself, we want to promote Do-It-Together and invite you to come on board with us. We will have regular public raft trips and inform you about our plans via newsletters and social media. You can also suggest actions or be part of our core group and support us, for example, during the construction.

Keep our Spree clean and make recycling sexy:
The raft is doubly effective against pollution: Using a net attached to the raft’s undercarriage, we will collect trash from Berlin’s waters (which we then dispose properly). We also build the raft entirely of recycled materials, thus showing that garbage can look cool and that fun can be combined with the useful.

Our project is for:

• All who want to experience our city from the water
• Groups who are looking for an unusual place for their own small meetings or events
• Artists with project ideas on Berlin’s waterways
• Anyone who wishes to support a sustainable raft that cleans our waters and takes on the function of a pioneer and role model.

We don’t want to be alone on the water – we want to be with you! If you support our project, you are the first to be invited on our pioneering raft from mid-June 2015. We will return the favor in the best way possible and plan various events. As our supporter you can for example have a drink with us at the raft, participate in our raft yoga or take over and use the raft for your birthday party and realize your own dreams (see perks). Our project is not for profit but seeks to promote art, engagement and creativity by creating a new mobile space. If you already have your own ideas, wishes or questions, do not hesitate to write us an email: [email protected]!

The construction plans for the raft, along with many dreams and ideas, already exist, and we have reserved a berth in central Berlin. Once we reach our first funding threshold of €5,000, we will begin to gather materials and get started. With this amount we can finance the berth and a basic version of the raft with the following core elements:

Basic version (5000 Euros):

• Floating dock with barrels (about 3.600 Euros)
• Engine (about 1000 Euros)
• Building materials (from Materialmafia, about 500-1000 Euros, the more material donations we get, the less are our expenses)
• Berth rent for one year (1000 Euros)
• Rent for construction weekend and crane (about 500 Euros)

To wholly build the raft according to our plans and try out new, more sustainable construction opportunities, we need to reach the funding target of €10,000. Our special version would contain the following additional elements:

Dream version (more than 5000 Euros):

• Floating bodies constructed with gum and mats (which we favor because it’s the more sustainable DIY-version, about 4000 Euros)
• Additional material for roofing, swing and minibar (from Materialmafia, about 500 Euros)
• Solar panels (about 500 Euros)
• Hifi equipment (about 300 Euros)

The figures are only indicative. We are very pleased about material donations to reduce our costs and to meet the re-up-cycling thoughts. You can watch over our shoulders as we construct the raft, provide moral support or even lend us a hand (construction will start end of May 2015 – we will keep all supporters up-to-date). The raft will set sail in mid-June, after which time it will be out on the water regularly - and you are invited to come on board!