Build and Grow Boats

I will have to admit, these are not as exciting of a build as the planes. They were fun to build and will be just as fun to play with.  I made 12 of each of these; half were out of poplar and half other woods.  I did have to bring in 1/2" thick lumber to make the proportions look correct.

Tug Boat

This is a smaller version of the original one that I have made in the past.  I incorporated the cutout of the deck to be the top of the cabin.  Hardest part was the small pieces which I use the band saw and the sander to safely cut.

The Rescue Boat

The hardest part of this boat was the cabin.  I wanted the front to be tapered and that was easy.  The problem was cutting both the top and bottom so they had the same radius but one was flat and tapered on the top.  I think they came out and looking good.  I did screw up the color mixes on the hard woods but it turned out.

The Ferry

This is the boat where all the learning happened. The design was not all that difficult.  The waterwheel was the part that caused some thought on assembly and materials. I learned that all dowels are not the same.  I purchased a dowel that did not have all straight grain.  part of it had the grain at about a 60 degree angle.  Normally this would not create a problem, but the dowel is not supported through its length.  When putting the other side of the waterwheel on it would break the dowel.  The other problem with the dowels was the inconsistent diameter.  The thicker ones would split the waterwheel.  After all this I like the way they turned out.