Do It Yourself – Build a Model Sailboat
Building a replica of anything can be fun, this is actually an activity that is taken on by quite a few people who find the pastime fulfilling. You may build a model sailboat as part of a larger set or you may build it simply to see it work in real life conditions, either at a lake or in fact in a more confined set up like a swimming pool. Regardless of why you are building a model sail boat the one thing that is certain is that you can get very creative with the design and its appearance. This particular design is fairly simple and will not require a great amount of skill, although if you are naturally good with your hands then this will be to your advantage.
Required Materials
Scissors
Staple gun
Box cutter
Hand saw
Drill with ¼-inch drill bit
Required Tools
Balsa wood (2 by 4), 8 inches in length
Sandpaper
Waterproof glue
Wood dowel, about ¼-inch diameter
Canvas, cotton sheeting or paper which will be utilised to build the sail.
Instructions
1)To begin you will want to make your hull. To do this shave your wood to make the shape of the hull, this will be carried out using your box cutter to mould the section of wood, letting form a point at the end of the wood. You should concentrate on the sides of the wood also, this will after all be the base of your sail boat. Essentially you should create an angled shape once you are done.
2)To give your hull a nice smooth look you will have to sand it thoroughly. This will give it more definition. To get rid of the excessively angled shape you created previously you will have to use the sand paper to give it a more rounded edge, this will enhance the realism that you may be going for.
3)You will now have to drill a hole in your base structure, this will be utilized to erect the support mast for the sail. This hole should be centred in the hull and should be drilled to a depth of about ½ inch. This will reinforce its structural integrity, though it is a model boat you will like it to sail similarly to the real thing. In addition, it will look better with a well balanced sail.
4)Construct your dowel by cutting it to a length of 6 inches using a hand saw. This should be an accurate cut that is simultaneously straight and even. Hence be patient and take the time to get it right.
5)Sand this newly created dowel making sure that the edges do not have any splinters all over it, this may be an annoyance once the boat is being used.
6)You are now ready to install your mast. This will be carried out by putting your wood glue in the hole you previously created within the hull and then pushing the dowel mast into it. You may realize that the glue will come out while you are affixing the dowel into the hull however, you can just wipe and then allow the parts to set. Depending on the glue it may take as little as 20 minutes and as much as the whole day to dry. During this time of waiting you can go ahead and create your sail.
7)When creating the sail you will want to cut your prefered material (paper, canvas or cotton sheeting) into a 4 inch equilateral triangle using scissors hence it should be totally symmetrical. To increase the symmetry use stencils or accurate measurements. Once the sail has been cut out you can add any extra decorative elements to it especially if your glue has not yet set.
8)You can then attach your sail to the dowel mast when it has entirely dried. Wrap the sail around the dowel mast in such a way that the edges of the material are not visible.
9)You can then create the rigging for your boat. You will accomplish this by affixing the string to the position where the sail is glued to the mast, for the other end the staple gun is all you need to secure rigging to the hull.
Tips and Warnings
You can add a keel to give the boat some more realism. You can do this by using a bit of balsa wood cut in the shape of a thin triangle that you will glue to the underside of your boat.
Do not let children use the drills, jigsaw or staple gun even if you are making this a family project.