People who are tired of making the usual paper sailboat may wish to make a paper steamboat instead. This is one of the easier origami patterns, with most of the steps simply involving folding the corners inward. You can use a sheet of origami paper or a regular sheet of printer paper or construction paper. If you start with an 8.5 by 11-inch sheet, cut the 11-inch side down to 8.5 inches so that you have a square to work with.
Fold your paper in half lengthwise. Then fold it in half widthwise. Crease tight. Take out both folds. Now you have a grid with four quadrants to use as a guide for the next step.
2
Fold each corner in toward the center, effectively dividing each quadrant into two equal triangles. Your paper will become a smaller but still even square.
3
Flip the paper 180 degrees, like you are flipping a pancake. Repeat Step 2 for the side of the paper that is now face up. Flip the paper again and repeat Step 2 again. Your square will get smaller and smaller as you continue to fold the corners inward but will retain the same basic shape.
4
Flip your paper 180 degrees. Turn it so that one of the corners is directly facing you, so the paper resembles a diamond. Your paper will be divided into four smaller diamond shapes due to all of your previous folds. Grab the left and right corners of the diamond shape furthest away from you.
5
Push these two corners toward each other to undo the fold in the top layer of the paper. Continue pushing this section directly away from you, up and out. Flatten out this new rectangle. Rotate the paper 180 degrees and repeat.
6
Fold the paper in half so that the bottom edge meets the top edge. As you fold grab the corner to the direct right of the center and the corner to the direct left of the center and pull them out to the right and left, respectively. Stand up your completed steamboat.
Tips & Warnings
This boat will float on water for a short period of time. As soon as the paper gets saturated, it sinks.
You may want to start with the 8.5 by 11-inch paper until you get the hang of the folds. It is easier to make bigger folds than the tight ones you will have to make using smaller paper.
If you get stuck and you need to see pictures, consult the link in the Resources section.
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