How to Build a Wooden Boat Out of Toothpicks

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Things You'll Need

  • Wine corks (12)

  • Permanent epoxy

  • 2-inch equilateral triangle piece of construction paper

A standard toothpick is 2 1/4 inches long.
Image Credit: Zedcor Wholly Owned/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images

Building a wooden boat out of toothpicks can turn any standard weekend afternoon into a creative adventure. Toothpicks naturally float due to the design of wood and are an inexpensive craft material with which to work. The trick to making a boat from toothpicks is to find a way to increase the surface area of the boat. Employing several additional household objects will give you a boat on which to set miniature objects or figurines.

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Step 1

Place at least eight toothpicks and 12 clean wine corks onto a table.

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Step 2

Stand a wine cork on its end. Press a toothpick down through the center of the cork. Press a second wine cork through the center of the remaining exposed half of the tooth pick. Continue this step seven additional times to crease eight individual surface pieces. Each surface piece contains two corks joined together lengthwise via one toothpick.

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Step 3

Place four surface pieces side by side. Bond the surface pieces together with permanent epoxy. Place four additional surface pieces side by side. Bond the additional set of surface pieces together with permanent epoxy. You now have two large surface pieces.

Step 4

Place the two large surface pieces together lengthwise -- so the short ends are touching. Bond the two large surface pieces together with permanent epoxy.

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Step 5

Layer the top of the boat surface with toothpicks. Adjust all toothpicks so they are side by side and in perpendicular fashion to the corks. Overlap portions of toothpicks if necessary to prevent any pointed tips overhang from the sides. Bond the toothpicks to the top of the boat with permanent epoxy.

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Step 6

Flip the boat over. Layer the bottom of the boat surface with toothpicks. Adjust all toothpicks so they are side by side and in perpendicular fashion to the corks. Overlap portions of toothpicks if necessary to prevent any pointed tips overhang from the sides. Bond the toothpicks to the top of the boat with permanent epoxy.

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Step 7

Flip the boat back over. Bond the ends of two additional toothpicks together with permanent epoxy to form one long toothpick. Bond one edge of a 2-inch equilateral triangle piece of construction paper to the top end of the extended toothpick. Your mast and sail are now created. Bond the bottom end of the mast down into the center of the boat with permanent epoxy.

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