Boat


Learning Experience
"Ship ahoy!"  This boat gets the children to imagine much of the structure.  This allows the boat to take on many different forms during their play. Includes a comm-link from the helm to the engine room.

Material
  • Treated pine logs
  • Rapid Set Concrete Bags
  • Curtain (junk collection)
  • PVC piping
  • Fan blade (junk collection) 
  • Chair (junk collection)
  • Steering wheel (junk from family member - fellow street ninja)
  • Lattice screen (junk collection - I had to walk it home about three blocks)
  • Paint (I hand painted the lattice - DON'T do that at home - use a spray-gun or you'll go crazy)
  • Oars (sentimental)
  • Passion fruit vine 
  • Scary African mask. (Can you spot it?  The kids get a start when they do every now and then.)
  • Ceramic lifebuoy ring
Procedure
  • Poles
  1. The poles need to go into the ground 30 cm for the short ones and 60 cm for the tall mast pole.
  2. Ensure the poles are level.
  3. Pour in the dry concrete mix, compact with a metal rod, then add water.  Keep the level of the concrete 5 cm below ground level to allow the grass to grow over the top up to the sides of the pole.
  • Sail
  1. The first time I made the sail I used an old curtain.  The material being tougher to withstand the outdoor environment.  This time I have used an old fitted sheet.
  2. I have used PVC pipes and joiners for the boom.
  3. Measure the height and width of the triangular sail that will be required. 
  4. Add 14 cm to height and about 4 cm to the width measurements.  This is required to sew a sleeve along the bottom of the sail for the boom to fit through and to sew edges down each side to stop the material fraying.
  5. Cut out the triangle.  I used a pencil to mark out the measurements onto the cloth.   
  6. Down the side, fold over 1 cm of cloth and sew down, then fold another 1 cm and saw down again. 
  7. Do the same two fold and sews for the hypotenuse.
  8. Along the bottom, fold over 1 cm of cloth and sew down.
  9. Create a sleeve for the boom (try it on the boom you will be using) and sew down.
  10. Make a small loop of sail at the top to allow a hook to fit through.  This will be use to hold the top of the sail in place.
Measuring and cutting.
Sewing machine.

Boat without sail.

Feeding the boom through the sail sleeve.

Sail in place, attached at the top with a hook.

Steering Wheel and Pipe Talker

  • Pipe Talker
  1. The PVC pipes join up underground.  The kids can talk to each other through the pipes.  
  2. See details on the Pipe Talker project.
  • Steering Wheel
  1. Find an old steering wheel.  
  2. Put a large coach screw (smooth shank) through a large washer, the steering wheel, and screw into the wooden pole.  Depending to the arrangement, a small length of PVC pipe may be needed around the bolt between the wood and the large washer.
  3. Back seal all holes in the steering wheel with silicon to prevent creepy crawlies getting in.
Play Time 

More Project Ideas
Do you have a Treehouse project?
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