Design and make a model sailing boat

 


Sailing boats use the energy of the wind to move. Can you design a boat with a sail that is moved by the wind?

Your challenge is to design the boat with a mast and a sail.

Try making boats from a range of different materials and experiment with a variety of sail shapes.

  • What materials could you use for the boat?
  • What is the best shape for a boat that will stay afloat?
  • What is the best shape for a boat to help it best travel on water? Does changing the boat’s shape improve its performance?
  • How do you keep the boat upright?
  • How can the mast and boom be secured?

Research sailing boats and sail shapes. Which is the best shape and size for a sail?

Build your boat and experiment with a variety of sail shapes.

Then, test the sails by placing the boat in a container of water and simulate the wind by blowing on the sail, using a paper drinking straw. Undertake a second test using a handheld battery powered fan, if you have one, and compare your results.

  • Can you make the boat sail in different directions? Can you make it sail in a circle?
  • Can you make the boat travel from one place to another and return to its starting point?
  • Can you design and make a catamaran, a trimaran, or an outrigger canoe…or a balloon or elastic band powered boat?

 

(Copyright: Australian Science Teachers Association 2020, except where indicated otherwise. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International licence.)

 

Below are plans some of our 5/6 students have come up with:

Below are models some of our 5/6 students made: