Make a fun floating toy silk sailboat with your children this summer. Use for the bath or take it to a river or pond!
1080p from Sarah's Silks on Vimeo.
This could be for a birthday party, home school group or family camping trip activity.
Supplies you will need:
~Flat wide rectangular driftwood
~21 inch square mini playsilk
~1/4th inch dowel rod
~handsaw
~sandpaper
~drill and 1/4th inch drill bit
~pliers
~eyelet hooks
~string
~scissors
~waterproof glue (optional)
Begin with wide flat driftwood... the wider ones you find, the better your boat will sail and float! Drill a 1/4 inch hole in the middle front of your driftwood boat.
Use a handsaw to cut your dowel rod or rods to 12 inches in length (or shorter if you have a short boat!). Sand the edges.
Push dowel rod all the way through the hole in the boat. It should fit very tight!
No glue was necessary for us, but if you choose or need glue, use a nice strong waterproof glue.
Next you need to put an eyelet hook on the back middle of your boat. Hand screw it until you cannot anymore and then use pliers the rest of the way. Do not go all the way through, but make sure it is good and snug.
Next you fold your mini play silk in a triangle in half ...
Then in half again ...
Use strong string around all three corners, and tie to top and bottom of mast, and through eyelet hook.
You are ready to set sail!!! Please see Sailing tips below for the best experience...
*** Sailing tips***
~ please note that this tutorial is for a TOY sailboat for play, not a model sailboat that sails perfectly. Results will vary!
~ make sure you have very wide driftwood. This prevents tipping over.
~ shorten the length of your mast if there is constant tipping over. Also use a light wood dowel rod.
~ encourage your children to keep the silk sail dry for as long as possible. Once wet, it is more likely to tip due to the weight of the water. Tell them to squeeze out the sail by hand or towel and lay in the sun if it is tipping. Some sailboats still do fine with wet sails!
~ one option is to glue a small piece of wood triangle to the bottom of the boat as a “Rudder” to anchor it a bit.
~ test out your boat in the bathtub before you head to a river!
Makes a great bath toy and also is beautiful as a summer nature table decoration!
Tutorial and song by Annie Haas
