making sailboat paper

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How to Make a Paper Boat

Last Updated: July 2, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Robert Homayoon . Robert Homayoon is an Origami Expert known for his engaging YouTube videos and accessible instructions. He has been teaching origami on YouTube since 2009. His channel has a following of over 676,000 subscribers, and his videos have garnered over 211 million views. Robert uses his channel to highlight his passion for teaching people origami, crafts, and how to solve puzzles. He graduated from SUNY Albany in 2007 and earned his D.M.D degree from Temple University Dental School in 2013. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 4,878,861 times.

Making an origami paper boat is a great activity that’s easy to finish and doesn’t require a lot of materials. The beauty of making a paper boat is that you only need one piece of printer paper to complete the task! By folding the paper with sharp creases and shaping it carefully, you can make a great-looking origami boat in minutes. We'll walk you through folding your own paper boat with our complete step-by-step instructions.

Creating the Initial Folds

• To strengthen the crease, run your finger down the fold 3-4 more times.
• You should now have 2 creases along both centers (x-axis and y-axis) of the page.
• Use the crease you made before to help line up the folds coming in from the corners.
• The 2 folds should line up with each other.

Tip : When you go to fold the second side, use the first fold as a reference point.

• The flaps closest to you should be folded in front of the back flaps, not over them. If you fold over the back flaps, you won’t be able to fold the back flaps themselves.

Making the Final Folds

• Crease the paper along its edges so that it stays in the square shape.
• The bottom of the diamond should be the part of the paper with extra folds.
• The bottom corners will line up to become the bottom point of a square diamond.
• You may need to pull up the triangle inside the diamond while pulling apart the two sides. Try to keep the triangle inside the diamond sticking straight up as this will be your boat's "mast."
• You can reinforce the corners with clear tape and tape around the bottom to keep your boat dry.

Tip : Waterproof your boat! Use a waxed paper from an art store to make your boat last longer, or color one side of the paper completely with a crayon. You can also try to make your boat out of aluminum foil.

Expert Q&A

• If you are floating your boat on a large body of water, like a pond, you can tape string onto one end of the boat. Hold on to the other end of the string so that it doesn't float away! Thanks Helpful 317 Not Helpful 152
• Try to get the edges of the paper to line up. An evenly made boat means less chances of tipping over. Thanks Helpful 63 Not Helpful 37
• If you are making a tiny boat, don’t float it on a big body of water. You may lose it! Thanks Helpful 22 Not Helpful 16

Tips from our Readers

• If you don't have specialty supplies like wax paper or crayons, no need to fret. You likely already have the tools to waterproof your delicate paper boat right at home. Simply construct two separate boats out of ordinary printer or construction paper. Then, gently place one inside the other, nesting them together into a double-walled vessel. This should reinforce them to better withstand water without getting too soggy. Though, test float gently, as the extra weight could cause sinking if the little boat gets overburdened.
• Missing wax paper for true waterproofing? Simply equip your artist's toolkit by raiding the crayon bin! Thoroughly color one whole side of the boat with thick crayon before setting it afloat in a pool, pond or puddle. The waxy buildup should act as a shield against light water exposure. Though if embarking on choppier seas, extra reinforcements may still be needed, matey!
• Forego the plain printer paper and opt for fun vibrant colors and patterns! Tissue paper can make for a festively hued sail, but be extra delicate as it shreds easily, especially once wet. For best durability, stick to construction paper or card stock to give your boat more sturdiness as you launch it into the open water.

• Make sure you don't have any holes, as one little hole can turn into a huge rip. This could be good in a procedural text. Thanks Helpful 25 Not Helpful 5

You Might Also Like

Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about origami, check out our in-depth interview with Robert Homayoon .

• ↑ https://ussconstitutionmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Make-a-Paper-Boat-Hard.pdf
• ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3QZpBL8-Tg#t=1m20s
• ↑ https://www.origamiway.com/origami-boat.shtml
• ↑ https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/nature/article/make-a-paper-boat
• ↑ https://www.origamiway.com/origami-boat-2.shtml
• ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3QZpBL8-Tg#t=2m54s
• ↑ https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/nature/make-a-paper-boat/

About This Article

If you want to make a paper boat, fold a piece of paper in half from top to bottom. Then, fold it again from side to side and unfold so you have a crease in the center. Fold the top right corner down towards the center. Next, flip the paper over and fold the other corner down on the other side. Fold each of the bottom edges of the paper up and outwards to make a paper hat shape. Then, open the hat and flatten it horizontally to create a diamond. Fold the bottom edge of the diamond upwards towards the top. Then, turn the paper over and repeat on the other side. Pull the paper apart again and smooth it out to create a boat shape. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Make a Cute Origami Sail Boat!

The Spruce / Chrissy Pk

Completed Origami Sail Boat

This is a very simple traditional origami model, the origami sailboat makes a sweet little decoration perfect as decor at a kids party because they stand up, make great table place cards or, folded flat, use as a card embellishment.

You could also attach a long thread and use as a garland, hanging display or baby mobile. There are so many possibilities with this easy to remember the origami model.

This project requires just one piece of square paper. It works best with origami paper that has a design or color that is different on each side.

You can use slightly thicker paper, such as the craft paper used in the tutorial, which has a blue-and-white side and is six inches.

If you're new to origami this is the perfect model to start with and would be great as an origami project for kids. You could also put these little boats in envelopes as a cute card.

Folding the Paper Square to Make a Triangle

Have your paper boat-side up. If you want your sails to be white, have the color-side facing up.

Now fold the paper diagonally. Bring the bottom corner of the paper up to the top and unfold. Next, fold the right corner over to the left and unfold.

Refolding the Paper to Make a Rectangle.

Turn the paper over to the other side, and rotate it as shown.

Fold the paper in half, right to left, and unfold.

Fold the paper from bottom to top, and unfold.

Creating the Sails

Making sure the paper is still white-side up, fold the top and bottom corners to the central crease.

Bring the left and right corners inward together to the top, and then collapse the model as shown.

Insert Paper Corners Into Each Other

Fold the left sail down to the bottom, and then fold it back up. Leave about a centimeter overlap behind as shown.

Tuck the overlap into the pocket of the boat by gently opening it.

Create the Bottom of the Sailboat

Turn the boat over, and fold the bottom corner up to the center. This will be the stand.

Turn the model back over to the other side, and you're finished.

If you want the boat to be flat, you could use a little bit of glue or double-sided tape to stick it down.

Remember that origami takes practice, so take your time and fold as precisely as possible, and you will get a better result.

If you're more advanced with origami, you could also unfold the whole thing and reverse squash fold the bottom stand so it would have an internal pocket. If you're interested in more origami boats, try the traditional one .

More from The Spruce Crafts

Paper Boat Instructions

Introduction: Paper Boat Instructions

Here is a fun, quick and easy paper sail boat that can be made in no longer than 5 minutes.

Step 1: Materials

Get one piece of a simple sheet of paper. It can be out of a notebook or even just regular printer paper.

Colors to draw stuff with.

Step 2: Decorate Both Sides of the Paper

With your colors create any design you wish to draw on both sides of the paper

Step 3: Fold the Paper in Half

Make a Horizontal fold.

Step 4: Fold in Corners

Now that the paper is folded in half find the center of the half piece and fold in the two corners so that they are evenly folded. These corners should be from the side where it does not open.

Step 5: Flip Up the Open Side and Bend in the Corners.

With the top corners folded in get the open side of the paper and fold them up, then bend in the corners.

Do this for both sides so it looks like the bottom picture.

Step 6: Open Up the Bottom of the Triangle and Fold in Half So the Two Corners Meet.

The flaps that you should have folded have now created a triangle with a bottom side that can open.

Open up that bottom part of that triangle so you can see the inside of that triangle.

With the two corners that are opposite of each other bring those in so that they're touching and form a diamond shaped paper.

Step 7: Fold in the Open Flaps of the Diamond Up to Form Another Triangle.

Get those opposite corners on the diamond you met up and fold those corners up on both sides to form another triangle that is sort of like the one before.

Just like the first triangle we had, open it up from the bottom so you can see the inside and meet those two opposite corners so that it creates a smaller diamond.

Step 8: Pull Open the Diamond.

Place the diamond as shown in the picture so that looking at your diamond you see two triangles meeting at their base.

On those corners that are on the base of the triangle, one is able to open while the other can not.

Pull the corner that can open on both of these triangles so that it looks like the second picture.

Keep pulling those corners till you have what seems like a flat boat.

Step 9: Making the Boat Stand on Its Own.

Finally you have what seems like a boat, but can't stand on its own.

Simply open up the bottom of the boat much like how we did with the triangles and the boat should be able to stand on its own.

Step 10: Set for Sail!

Now place in any puddle of water wether it is a river, stream or even a bath tub and watch your boat sail.

Mud Paper Scissors

Crafts, Kids, Chaos

5 Ways to Make Boats | A STEM Activity

We decided to try out this boat making STEM activity the other day and take our homemade boats down to a stream to see them in action.

Conclusion: the kids loved the boats!  All the boats.  They also all floated pretty well.  The boys' favourite part - of course! - was racing all the boats down the stream.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means that I earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you purchase things from these links.  

How to Make Boats that Float

We were thrilled that all of our boats actually floated.  We built them at home and then tried floating them down a stream.

You can also do this activity with a kiddie pool in your back yard, in a large puddle after a rainstorm, or in the bathtub.

One thing that we found about boats that float v. boats that don't: when paper sails get wet, they make the boat extra top-heavy and prone to capsizing.

Our paper boat, when we made it out of card stock, and our tin foil boats were the boats that floated the best.  They were the most durable in water, and they were not prone to capsizing.

The stick boat, the straw boat, and the cork boat all floated quite well - until their sails got wet.  The stick boat was the boat that still floated the best even with a wet sail.  The cork boats all tipped over with wet sails, and the straw boat was more prone to capsizing with a wet sail.

Turning Your Boat Making into a STEM Activity

Making and floating boats is already a STEM activity, since you have to engineer your boat and figure out how to put it together and make it float.

But to add some other STEM elements and turn your boat making activity into more of a science experiment, you can do a few things:

• See which type of boat floats best.  Which type is most durable?  We made 5 different types of boats, using sticks, straws (the paper kind), paper and cardstock, corks, and tin foil.
• See if you can add cargo to your boat.  Use pennies or nickles (or anything else you can find that can get wet) and stack them on or in your boat.  How many can you add to your boat before it capsizes?  Which type of boat can hold the most cargo?  (Note: do this in a kiddie pool or a bathtub, not a stream.)
• Experiment with boat design.  For the stick and the straw boats, we just glued our elements together in a straightforward raft.  Are there other ways you can construct your boat?  Can you make it into other shapes?  Which method is the most durable?  Least likely to capsize?  Holds the most cargo?

How to Make a Boat out of Straws

We used paper straws to make this boat, and glued them together in a flat raft design.

• paper straws
• popsicle stick and paper triangle for a sail (optional)

Making your boat

• Cut your straws in half.  We used 4 straws cut in half, giving us 8 half-straws for our raft.
• Glue the straws together in halves.  We glued 2 sets of 4 together before gluing both halves to each other in step 5.
• Glue the paper triangle to the popsicle stick to make the sail.
• Glue the popsicle stick to one half of your boat.
• Glue the two halves together so the the popsicle stick sail is in the middle.

The popsicle stick sail is optional.  It makes the boat look more like a boat, and less like a raft.  But when a paper sail gets wet, it makes the boat much more likely to capsize.

STEM experiment: Try a straw boat with a sail and without a sail.  What difference does it make?

Also, try loading your straw boat with cargo (like small coins).  How many can you fit on before it capsizes.

Experiment with size for your boat construction as well.  Try full size straws to make a bigger raft.  Try more and fewer straws to make a wider or skinnier raft.

How to Make a Boat out of Sticks

Our stick boat was constructed in a very similar way as our straw boat.  We found some sticks (my kids have a huge stick collection!) and glued them together.  We also added a sail to this raft.

• sticks in whatever size and shape you can find
• paper or fabric triangle for a sail (optional)
• Gather enough sticks to make a boat.  You only need a handful.  They can be small or large.
• Glue the sticks together in halves.  We glued 2 sticks together, and then another 3 together.  If you're going to make a sail, don't glue the two halves together yet.
• For a paper triangle: glue it to another stick to make a sail.  For a fabric triangle: tie both ends to another stick to make a sail.
• Glue the bottom of the sail to one of the stick-halves.
• Glue the two stick-halves together so the the sail is in the middle.

The sail is optional.  It makes the boat look more like a boat, and less like a raft.  But it is a bit clunky and can be tricky to attach to the boat.  We used some extra hot glue around the base of the sail to make it stick.

STEM experiment: Try a stick boat with a sail and without a sail.  What difference does it make?

Experiment with size for your boat construction as well.  Can you make a small boat with twigs?  A giant boat with big sticks?  Try more and fewer sticks to make a wider or skinnier raft.

How to Make a Paper Boat

We found instructions on how to make an origami paper boat for this boat making activity.  Here are some visual instructions.

This boat is pretty simple.

• regular 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper or card stock

Follow the instructions for how to make a paper origami boat.

Or use the paper origami boat video tutorial.

Make it into a STEM experiment: Try different types of paper.   We found that regular paper disintegrated in water pretty quickly.  Card stock, however, made a very durable boat even when it got wet.

How to Make a Tin Foil Boat

This was hands-down the easiest of our STEM boat making experiments.  It also made a really durable and really fast boat.

• a sheet of tin foil

Making your tin foil boat

• Fold your sheet of tin foil in half once, and then again (so that you have a square, or close to a square).
• Pinch two ends together to make the front and back (bow and stern) of the boat.
• Fold and pinch and fiddle with the ends so that your bow and your stern of your boat are fairly stable.  You don't want the tin foil coming apart when you put the boat in the water.

STEM experiment: Load your boat with cargo, like pennies or nickles (or anything else you can find).  How much cargo can you get in your boat before it capsizes?

How to Make a Cork Boat

Making cork boats was another super easy STEM activity for the kids.  I think this boat version was also their favourite.

• corks (2 per boat)
• popsicle stick
• paper triangle
• rubber bands

How to make a cork boat

• Place two corks side by side and wrap a rubber band or two around them.
• Glue your paper triangle onto a popsicle stick to make the sail.
• Slide the sail in between the two corks.  If your rubber bands are tight enough, the sail will stay in without glue.

STEM experiment: Try making the boat with more corks.  Can you make a boat with three corks?  How does adding corks change the boat?

Can you add cargo to your boat?  How much can you add before it capsizes?  Can you add cargo evenly so that one side isn't heavier than the other?

Rebecca is a chaplain at a girls’ school, a mom to boys, and a crafter of all things.  She crochets in every free moment she has, and she spends much of her time gluing cotton balls to toilet paper rolls and mopping up glitter.

Published by Rebecca

Rebecca is a chaplain at a girls' school, a mom to boys, and a crafter of all things.  She crochets in every free moment she has, and she spends much of her time gluing cotton balls to toilet paper rolls and mopping up glitter. View all posts by Rebecca