How to Make a Styrofoam Boat

Commonly employed as a packing material, Styrofoam is available in blocks, boards, sheets and chips. Though solid, it is very light and can float. You can even build a simple, workable toy boat out of it. Below, you'll learn how to make your own Styrofoam boat.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Styrofoam block
• Long pencil or thin dowel
• Paper

1. Cut a Styrofoam block to the same length as your pencil or dowel. The block should no more than about a third as high as it is long, and no more than half as wide as it is long.

2. Stick a pencil or dowel down into the middle of the piece of Styrofoam. This is your mast. The mast should go at least halfway down into the Styrofoam.

3. Cut a piece of paper into the shape of a triangle. One of the short sides of the triangle should be about three-quarters of the length of the mast. The other short side should equal about half the length of the Styrofoam boat.

4. Hold the triangle against the mast so the long side of the triangle faces away from the mast. Tape the triangle to the mast by the upright short side.

5. The get the sail to catch the wind, adjust its angle by turning the mast.

Tips & Warnings

• Your Styrofoam boat can use a square sail instead of a triangular one. Tape the center line of the sail to the mast. A large Styrofoam boat can also have multiple masts with both triangular and square sails. You can also trim your block of Styrofoam into any boatlike shape.
• Avoid using your Styrofoam boat in rough water. Children may be in danger if they are inattentive to water conditions. Never leave your Styrofoam boat behind in natural areas. Wildlife may eat the Styrofoam and suffer serious injury.

Resources

• Seaworthy Small Ships model boats that actually work
• Tippecano Boats floating model sailboats and remote-control boats
• BizRate remote-control boats and toys