Paddle Boat for Kieran

  My Grandson is crazy about boats. As Eva and I worked on the water feature in our back yard my mind wandered back to my Cub Scout days and a boat that we made as a craft at camp.  Kieran has decided that toy boats must go into the water and so this boat should fill the bill.

  The paddle wheel is powered by rubber bands and it actually goes along in the water.

  I remain  inept at  making videos but occasionally a movie is worth the trouble it brings. 

   Making the basic boat was an easy project and one were you could  include a young person in the process.

basic size, 11 by 4

  When it comes to making circles I usually find a can or a jar that is the right size.  To make the elliptical shape for the bow of the boat I turned to my Red Neck French Curve .  The shape is the top from an oval box which once held a full bottle of whiskey.  I saved the top for uses such as these, but the whiskey I gave to my favour charity. 

   Once I cut out the hull shape I decided that I would get a little carried away and so I added a keel and rudders to keep the boat going straight in the water.  The extras are only because Kieran knows about the and will look for a keel, trust me, the boat's performance doesn't require the keel.

 

  It is glued with Tite-Bond III, so I am hopeful that the pieces won't fall off, too soon. When they do we will effect repairs in dry dock.

   As I was making this project I was struck by how use full my band saw proved to be.  I am beginning to think that the band saw is the unsung and under rated tool in a small project shop. 

  A bunch of years ago I helped a buddy move his shop and at that time I was surprised to see that he did not have a table saw, but he did have a very good band saw.  When I asked him about his choice he told me that the band saw served his needs best.  My friend was and is a very fine craftsman, maybe I should have taken notice 25 years ago!!!

  Time to play in the water.

cheers, ianw