How to make a paper boat: step-by-step instructions

Paper boats proudly sailing along spring streams are constant companions of our childhood. Hastily folded from torn notebook sheets, newspapers and even chocolate foil... Feeling nostalgic?

Passionate about building our cruisers, we didn’t even know that we were touching the now fashionable art of origami. So the inclinations for this creativity are inherent in each of us from childhood.

Can you make a boat out of a piece of album paper right now? Or has a once in-demand skill gradually been lost? No problem! We have prepared a wonderful selection of schemes for both experienced and novice shipbuilders. You will not only learn how to make a boat out of paper, but also replenish your creative treasury with ideas for unusual crafts.

Paper boat from childhood - the simplest and most popular diagram from A4 sheet

For work, take colored or office paper A4 with a density of 80-160 g/cm2. If the sheet is not double-sided, then bend it so that the colored surface is on the inside: this will make it more beautiful.

Paper boat diagram

How to make a boat from A4 paper - description of the process with photos:

Fold the rectangular sheet along the long side. Turn so that the fold is at the top.

Grab the top corners. Pull both down, connecting along the central axis to form a right angle.

Fold the free lower strips of the sheet upward, first on one side, then on the other.

You will get a triangle. Bend small side protrusions that disrupt its shape inward to the opposite side.

Open the workpiece. Align the corners to create a square with a pocket.

Bend its free edges upward on both sides to form a triangle.

Place the corners together again to form a square.

Gently pull the corners, being careful not to disturb the middle. The paper figure will open up and turn into a small boat.

Run your fingers along the folds to make the outline of the craft clearer.

Before you send your boat on a voyage down the creek, decorate it. Cut out the anchor and round portholes with scissors and glue them to the hull. Or decorate the boat with markers, make a navy flag or a pirate Jolly Roger. If you have small toy soldiers or Lego figures, you can make them sailors on a boat.

How to make a paper boat: 3 step-by-step instructions

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The tradition of making paper boats originates from the Japanese art of origami. The Japanese call paper boats “kurafuto,” which translates as “little boat.” In Russia, paper boats became popular at the beginning of the last century: it is believed that their ability to make them was brought to our country by Russian sailors. Boats quickly became one of children's favorite pastimes, and remain popular to this day - and adults sometimes like to send a paper boat sailing with their children. And if you want to please your kids by sewing something new for them, pay attention to patterns for children's dresses, patterns for children's trousers and patterns for children's pullovers.

Precisely because a paper boat must float on the water, it is better to make it without glue, which can get wet.

Making a paper boat with your own hands is not difficult: step-by-step instructions will help you with this. This selection contains different methods of making boats, traditional and unusual.

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How to make a simple paper boat: step-by-step instructions

This is the simplest and most common method: it turns out to be a boat that most of us have known since childhood.

You will need:

- a rectangular sheet of paper (for example, A4 - office paper, or a notebook sheet).

Step 1

Place a sheet of paper vertically. Fold it in half crosswise, folding the bottom up. Smooth the fold with your fingers.

Then fold the sheet crosswise in half, but do not smooth the fold, but put a small mark by pressing the paper at the bottom with your finger, and open the sheet, maintaining the first fold.

Step 3

Using the mark you made in the step above as a guide, bend the corners diagonally from it, as shown in the first photo above. Smooth the folds with your fingers.

Turn the structure upside down and turn the bottom part of the boat up. Smooth the fold with your fingers.

Step 4

Turn the work upside down. Fold the second bottom part as you just did and press the fold.

Then open the folds and fold the corners inward - 2 corners on one side.

Step 5

Fold the bottom of the structure with the folded corners up again. Turn the structure over and open its lower part. Unfolded corners will overlap the folded ones - tuck the former under the latter. Then fold the structure to form a diamond shape.

Step 6

Fold one bottom corner of the structure up and smooth it with your fingers. Turn the work over and repeat with the other angle.

Then open the structure from the bottom and fold it to form a diamond shape.

Step 7

Now pull the corners of the structure to the sides, as shown in the first photo above. The ship is ready!

Photo and source: thesprucecrafts.com

How to make marbled paper

How to make a paper boat: an easy way

This paper boat looks unusual and original. In addition, it is easy to make: even a child can do it. The ship will look especially good if you take a sheet of paper for it, colored on one side and white on the other. Please note: this boat is made from a square sheet.

You will need:

- a square sheet of paper.

Step 1

Fold a square piece of paper in half diagonally, with the colored side of the paper on the inside, and smooth the fold with your fingers.

Then, along the dotted line, fold the top corner down and press the fold.

Unfold the corner you just folded over again.

Step 2

Now you need to turn the folded outer fold outward so that the large triangle is inside the outer folded part.

It’s easier to do this if you open the sheet a little.

It should turn out like this.

Smooth out the folds.

Step 3

The ship is already good, but it can be made even better. Position it as in the photo, with the nose to the left, and fold, and then straighten the upper triangle approximately along the dotted lines:

Step 4

Open the top of the boat and bend the top corner inward along the lines like an accordion.

Smooth out the folds. Ready.

Photo and source: origami-tutorial.com

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How to make a paper canoe boat: step-by-step instructions

A canoe is a light boat without sails. Such a boat can be made from paper! For such a boat you will need a square sheet of paper. Here we use paper with a colored front side and a white back side for clarity. You can take a colored or white sheet on both sides.

You will need:

- a square sheet of paper.

Step 1

Fold the sheet in half with the colored side facing in. Press the fold.

Unfold the sheet and fold its sides so that the ends coincide with the central fold line. Smooth out the folds.

Step 2

Fold the corner to the center line, as shown in the photo, and press the fold.

Repeat with the remaining three corners.

Step 3

Along the long sides of the structure, find and mark (for example, with a fingernail) the middle.

Moving slightly beyond these center marks, fold the corners toward the center line and press the folds. The result should be a diamond-shaped design, as in the photo above.

Step 4

Bend the obtuse corners of the diamond towards the center line and smooth the folds.

Open the boat.

Now turn it out. Do this by pulling the sides outward. Ready.

Photo and source: thecraftycrow.net

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Making a sailboat out of paper

If you want the boat to have a beautiful sail, you will need a square sheet. Also prepare pencil glue.

Scheme of a sailboat made of paper.

To make a sailboat out of paper with your own hands, proceed as follows:

Pre-fold the square in the vertical and horizontal directions. This will help you find the folds in the future.
Fold the right and left edges to the vertical axis. Bring the top and bottom to the middle horizontal line too.
To make the sides of the boat, spread the corners of the workpiece. First, unscrew the corner on the top right. Iron the bottom fold diagonally. Then go over the top of the figure.
Open the bottom corner on the right in the same way. Repeat the above manipulations with the left half of the workpiece. The result will be the sides of the future sailboat.
To turn the workpiece into a boat, carefully take its halves with your fingers and pull: the right one towards you, the left one in the opposite direction.
Turn the remaining protrusion at the bottom to the right and leave it in a horizontal direction.
Run glue along the bow to attach the port side to the starboard side.

An origami paper sailboat is ready to travel along a spring stream.

How to make a sailboat out of paper with your own hands, see the video below.

Option 1 “Punt”

Making a punt boat from a sheet of paper

This paper toy for kids is especially interesting because it is quite possible to seat little passengers in it and send them on a real river cruise - this origami boat can easily hold miniature crafts and small toys on real water. The scheme is simple:

Fold the rectangular (or square) sheet in half lengthwise, then across (for ease of orientation to the center), then return it to its original state;
Fold the top edge of the sheet inward to the middle, repeat the operation with the bottom side. Note that the rectangular (not square) sheet is folded similarly from the horizontal orientation;
Continuing to fold the paper boat, bend each corner of the workpiece evenly inward (as in Fig. 1);
Increase the sharpness of the conical parts of the paper blank to move on to the final stage of folding the toy - bend the corners again, as shown in the diagram;
Fold the product away from you along the central edge of the workpiece, and then carefully turn the structure out, revealing the central cleft (take pliable paper; it may not work out of cardboard);
Carefully straighten the toy, tighten the inner folds - your origami boat is ready for launching.

Boat - a simple diagram for preschoolers

Origami masters offer several ways to make a boat out of paper. A simple option that a preschooler can handle in 10 minutes is given below. For work, prepare a paper square and stationery scissors.

Paper boat diagram.

How to make a paper boat step by step:

Bend the square along the horizontal and vertical axes to obtain working marks. Open it up.
Bring the edges to the horizontal axis on the side opposite the main fold so that it looks like an accordion of 4 parallel lines.
Fold the edges. Move all corners equally to the central horizontal axis. Then bend the corners again, focusing on the vertical axis.
Having folded the workpiece, open it. The result is something like a boat, but without clear lines yet.
To make the boat smoother and more beautiful, bring the bow and stern to the main axis. You will get a hexagon, press all its folds with your finger.
Bend the opposite corners of the hexagon equally, retreating about 5 mm.
Open the workpiece. Bend the sides on both sides towards the main axis.
Gently go over the inside corners on each side with your finger until they become clear, so that the bottom of the boat can be outlined.
Open the finished craft. Straighten the sides if they are wrinkled.

Double boat - catamaran

An ordinary boat is a completed stage, and have you also learned how to make a steamboat? Do you want to continue? Now you can master the assembly of the catamaran. The only materials you need are paper and scissors. First of all, cut out a square from an A4 sheet. Then, step by step, follow the step-by-step description, check the result with the pictures and remember that the clarity of the folds is the key to a neat and beautiful craft.

Fold the square in half and unfold. You will be left with a fold line. Then fold each side in half towards the fold line.

Rotate the resulting rectangle 90° and repeat the folding procedure.

Unfold the workpiece. It turns out to be divided into small squares. Now fold the opposite sides of the square towards the center again.

Grasp the bottom corners of the sheet and move them apart. Fold 2 inner squares diagonally - you get a blank for one boat.

Repeat these steps on the other side of the rectangle.

Fold the layout in half and open it, giving it volume. The catamaran is ready to sail in search of adventure.

Steamboat

Several generations have known how to make a cute paper steamer. Teach this easy craft to your children. The design of the boat is simple and interesting. You need a square sheet of paper.

Paper steamship diagram.

How to make an origami paper boat:

Fold the square diagonally on both sides to create a center mark.
Bend all 4 corners to the mark.
After turning the future steamer over, repeat the manipulations.
Turn it over again and also direct the corners to the center mark.
Turning the workpiece over for the last time, open the opposite corners. You will get large steamer pipes.
Gently bend the resulting boat, simultaneously turning the other two unopened corners into triangles.

The ship is ready to sail.

Origami instructions on how to make a steamship from A4 paper.

Steamboat with two pipes

In addition to an ordinary small boat, you can go to a more complex level, namely a steamship with two pipes with your own hands.

To make a steamboat like the one in the photo above, we need a sheet of paper and a little patience. First, you need to get a square from a rectangular sheet. To do this, you need to fold it so that the short side matches the long side exactly. The rectangular strip that appears at the bottom needs to be cut off. We have a square of maximum size.

Now you can begin assembling the steamer itself. To do this you will need to find out the center of the sheet. To do this accurately, you need to fold the sheet diagonally again, but not along the strip that was obtained when cutting out the square. The resulting intersection point will be the center.

Next, all corners must be directed towards the resulting center, but there is no need to go beyond it. The result is a square smaller than the original one. The folds of the paper need to be smoothed out thoroughly with a hard object so that they are not voluminous. The next step is to turn the square over with the protruding corners down and once again fold the corners towards the center. Now we need to repeat what we did. That is, turn it over again with the convex parts down and again fold the corners towards the center. In total, we fold the corners three times.

The workpiece must be turned over again. Now two of the four corners need to be bent, thereby forming pipes, and the folds should be smoothed out. All that remains is to pull the two remaining corners, as if bending the figure in half, and straighten the steamer. Ready!

Paper yacht

Making a yacht out of paper is as easy as shelling pears, a task that preschoolers of the younger age group can do. The craft can be used as an independent decor or as an element of appliques.

Paper yacht diagram.

To make a paper boat with your own hands , you will have to spend very little time:

Bend a square piece of paper diagonally to form a triangle.
Bend one edge so that it coincides with the central fold. You will get the sails of a yacht.
Fold the bottom strip of the workpiece obliquely. This will be the hull of the boat.

A simple way to make a yacht out of paper is in the video below.

Powerboat

Turn the white side of a square sheet of colored paper towards you and inscribe a square with vertices in the center of each side.
Fold all corners to the sides of the inner square.
Then fold it again to form a frame.
Turn the frame and bend it in half.
Unfold and fold the top and bottom sides toward the center fold line. The result is a rectangle.
Bend the corners of the rectangle upward relative to the center fold line to form a hexagon.
Bend the corners of the square inscribed in the hexagon also relative to the center fold line.
Bend the edges of the resulting workpiece, located near the center line, upward so that a boat is formed.
Carefully turn the workpiece inside out and lift it up until the edge is convex on the bows of the boat.
The motor boat is ready.

Paper motor boat

Multi-colored boat with a flag

Beautiful boats are obtained not only from origami style patterns. For a primary school student, a more complex task will be more interesting, for which you need markers or gouache, canapé sticks, a ruler, stationery glue, a set of thick colored paper, and scissors.

How to make a boat out of paper - step-by-step instructions:

First make the hull of the boat. Take blue paper, cut out two strips 18 cm long and 3 cm wide.
Using a ruler, divide the strips into 3 equal parts, make appropriate marks, and bend the paper in these places. Glue the strips together.
Then make the deck of the boat. Cut out a rectangle from blue paper. On the sides, retreat 15 mm to make it easier to glue later.
Fold the rectangle along the marked lines. Glue between the sides.
Next, make the sails. Cut out two rectangles of different sizes from yellow or white paper. Punch holes in them to thread a cooking stick through, which will be the mast.
Insert the stick into the center point of the deck, after punching a hole in it.
Cut out a flag fluttering in the wind from red paper. Glue it onto the tip of the stick.
Use markers or paints to complete the elements of the boat: portholes, folds of the flag.

How to make a paper boat not sink

If you float a paper boat along a stream, it will soon get wet and fall apart. You'll have to make a new one. But there is a way to make a paper boat impervious to water.

Light a regular candle. When the wax begins to melt, tilt it over the craft. Let the wax drops fall onto the paper, gently smear them with your finger on the outer surface of the product. Don't overdo it, otherwise the heavy ship will sink. It is enough to lubricate the bottom and sides with wax.

Video master class on making a simple boat using the origami technique

And finally - a master class on creating a simple boat, also using the origami technique. All that remains is to prepare the sheet and strictly follow the specialist’s instructions.

A paper boat is not just a toy that can be launched in a puddle, river or even a home bath. Such a craft, created with a certain amount of imagination, can be an interesting addition to the main gift for February 23 or just a token of attention.

Most of the variations are very easy to work with, accessible even to children, but if you want to amaze with your skill, get ready for long, painstaking work using the wicker weaving technique. Good luck!