We love everything that floats; especially YOU! Share your boat designs by clicking here.
Join us this week on a boat building adventure as we build tall boats, strong boats, and boats that can save people. We have kits in the store or you can find your own boat-building materials. There are many exciting physical and virtual challenges to gamify your summer.
We also partner closely with FLEET, a free video game from the American Society of Naval Engineers. Download the game today and you can begin to use this free physics simulator to design and use naval ships. You can access the Quick Start Guide and complete User Guide whenever you need it. Missions range from Combat Practice to Search & Rescue. The gameplay is straightforward but it takes a true engineer to patiently improve the design and execution of each mission.
Check this website occasionally. We will share more and more pictures of everyone’s activities and successful creations.
Want to show off your boat? Upload your boat pictures and we will share it!
Need a boat kit? Scroll down to the “Building Materials” section or stop by our store in Burke!
We emphasize making a plan, executing your plan, and thinking about what worked and did not work. Engineers solve problems by thinking of new solutions over and over. There are no bad ships! Just new test data that helps you make a great ship next time.
You can use our process and receive feedback in each challenge: Just click the Challenge # below! (Note: If only Challenge #1 is available, then you can buy summer-long access to all 12 challenges by clicking Summer Boat Challenges!
- Challenge 1: Build the tallest boat possible.
- Challenge 2: Build the fastest boat in the free FLEET video game.
- Challenge 3: Build a boat that can hold at least one brick (5 pounds).
- Challenge 4: Build a boat that can complete FLEET’s Maneuverability Test in less than 2 minutes and 5 seconds.
- Challenge 5: Build a boat in FLEET that can complete the Rescue Practice in less than 3 minutes.
- Challenge 6: Build a boat that can hold an empty water bottle even when the water is wavy.
- Challenge 7: Build a boat in FLEET that scores over 1,000 points in the Search & Rescue mission.
- Challenge 8: Build a boat in FLEET that scores over 1,500 points in the Supply & Logistics mission.
- Challenge 9: Successfully complete the Combat Practice test by shooting down all the stationary drones.
- Challenge 10: Build the tallest boat possible. Improve your solutions from the first challenge!
- Challenge 11: Build a boat in FLEET that scores over 1,600 points in the Heavy Seas Operations.
- Challenge 12: Build a boat that can hold the most weight possible.
- Challenge 13: Build a boat in FLEET that scores over 1,000 points in the Search & Rescue mission in Stormy conditions.
- Challenge 14: Create a poster that shows data you collected and the engineering design change you made.
- Challenge 15: Create a poster or a video that explains why the center of buoyancy should be under the center of gravity for a stable ship.
Boat Building Materials
For maximum design flexibility, we suggest using foam noodles or pipe insulation along with wooden skewers. Together they allow you to stick the foam together, and easily redesign your boat.
We also have used many different types of rinsed recyclable plastic. You will need duck tape or a similarly strong tape to stick together these pieces. (Scotch tape and masking tape will fall apart in the water.)
We sell boat making kits, and would be happy to send you one (or three!) to help you get started.
Thanks for joining the fun!