This design consist of a fabricated steel frame made from plate — bent in a fashion as to hold another piece of bent expanded metal. The expanded metal begins with an incline and ends with a basket and taller back plate. The skimmer floats on top of the water, and as it is pulled through the water any solid material from the surface to approx 4 inches under will be trapped in the rear of the skimmer in the basket, where it will be sucked or scooped out. The faster you pull the skimmer, the deeper it will dive, which is OK as long as the back plate stays above the surface.
Flotation is derived from plastic pipes that are filled with foam. The skimmer shown has (1) 6″ pipe across the back and each side, and (2) 3″ pipes under the forward front incline. These are fixed in a location that allows the front incline to dive under the surface when pulled, and rotates above the surface when stopped.
I have made a skimmer that consist of (3) 8′-0″ wide panels connected together to make a 24′-0″ wide skimmer. It is designed with the ability to add eight foot wide “middle sections” in between the outer sections to make a 32′ wide skimmer.
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