Junk Boats

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Use recycled materials to design sea-worthy boats inspired by San Francisco’s history as a prominent working port and the current re-envisioning of its southern waterfront. Make this a family project so you can have a whole fleet of vessels to race!

INSTRUCTIONS

• Gather materials for the base or hull of the boat.
  • What materials are most buoyant?
  • What shapes of containers will be most stable on the water?
  • What materials help make it water resistant or waterproof?
• Fill your tub, sink or wading pool half-way up with water and test the buoyancy of the materials you chose.
  NOTE: You might need to water-proof before testing. For example, we wrapped the red cardboard box with plastic wrap and held it on with a large rubber band.
• Use hot glue, rubber bands or wire to add extra flotation elements as needed.
  TIP: Two empty bottles (with lids) can turn your surface or container into a pontoon boat!
• Test the stability and buoyancy of your boat by putting it back in the water and placing a sturdy object on/in it.
• Create a sail from paper or fabric. We used colorful index cards with magazine images glued on.
  TIP: Triangular or rectangular shapes are often used in sails – look up visual resources for more ideas.
• Tape or glue your sail onto a popsicle stick, pencil, dowel, or straw.
• Use a large amount of hot glue to fix your sail in place.
  TIP: Use a pipe cleaner or some modeling clay to create a base that is easier to glue.
• Now you are ready for your own @Home regatta!
  • Splash around! How does your boat handle stormy seas?
  • Every boat needs a name! Choose something personal, or use this handy boat name generator.
  • Is your boat a ship, a yacht, a dingy, or a raft?

RELATED RESOURCES

• Add to your engineering know-how with this lesson on levers, via TedEd.

CONNECT SOCIALLY AND LEARN MORE

Share your project! Post and tag #MCDatHome