DIY Pirate Ship - STEM Challenge for Kids

Can your kids figure out how to build a pirate ship on their own? This DIY Boat (pirate ship) is a fantastic STEM activity. Grab a treasure map and spyglass, because your children are going to set sail to hunt for treasure, sail through hurricanes and more.

One of my favorite memories from when I was a child was building teepees in our backyard. So I wanted to come up with a kids pirate ship that they could build by themselves, and pack away afterwards too.

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More Pirate Themed Activities for Kids

Is talk like a pirate day just around the corner? Or are you getting ready for a pirate party? Get ready to sail the high seas because with these play ideas you’ll be ready for a pirate adventure in no time.

For more ideas, read 20+ Pirate Activities for Kids

Materials Needed

For this DIY boat project, you’re going to need a few things. I’m going to give you the dimensions I used, but you can switch up the math to find a size that best suits your family, especially if you have a smaller yard.

Wood. About 13.5m of it. I had three planks of 2″ x 6″ (about 4.8m each) from a previous project already in my garage, so that’s what I used for this project.
Circular saw (This is optional. You can get the guys at Bunnings to cut it for you if you like, which makes it a heck of a lot easier to get home too.)
Electric drill. A drill bit closest to 10mm would work just fine for this project.
An umbrella stand (if you get one of the water-filled ones, then the kids won’t need help moving it into place, and they’re cheaper too)
2 wooden poles. 1.2m and 1.8m, both about 4-5 cm in diameter.
A flat sheet/blanket/whatever you want for a sail.
Rope.
Safety pins

DIY Boat Instructions

Step 1: Cut your wooden planks

Cut two of the 4.8m planks into quarters. These make up the base of the boat. They only have to be roughly sized, which is why it’s great that you can get the guys at Bunnings to do it for you.

For the third plank, cut two pieces about 1.6m in length (I kept the rest to be a balance beam in case my kids want to be pirates and walk the plank.)

Step 2: Drill your holes and assemble your base.

The two 1.6m planks are going to be used as beams to support the floor of the boat. Drill holes all along the legth of these beams, about 15 – 20 cm apart.

I experimented with a couple holes in different sizes. On one support beam, I used a 32mm drill bit because I thought that a wider hole would be easier to thread the rope through. On the other support beam, I used a 10mm drill bit.

I found that both hole sizes worked for threading the rope through, although the wider hole was definitely easier. However, if you already have a 10mm drill bit at home and don’t want to get a larger one, then don’t worry. All you have to do is to make sure that the diameter of the rope you have is small enough to thread through the smaller hole.

Place the other planks on top and parrallel to the beams underneath. As in the picture above.

Use a long length of rope to tie these planks to the beams, threading the rope through the holes in the beams as you go.

Step 3: Set up your sail frame.

The two poles and the umbrella stand are going to be used to make the mast.

Drill a hole at the top of the 1.8m pole, which will become your mast.

Next, drill a hole in the middle of the 1.2m pole. This pole will be your yard arm.

Cut a piece of approximately 2.5m rope and use it to tie the two poles together, as you can see in the picture.

Thread one end of the rope through the center of the yard arm and tie a knot, so that it doesn’t slip through.

Thread the other end of the rope through the top of the mast and tie another knot in the other end of the rope.

To hoist the sail, pull the end of the rope not attached to the yarm arm. The more you pull, the higher the yard arm will go.

To keep the yard arm at the top of the mast, all you have to do is tie the end of the rope to the umbrella stand.

For this step, if you want a tool-free version, all you need is a mug. That’s right, go into your kitchen cabinet and get an old cup. Turn it upside down and slip it over the mast. You can then use a rope to tie the yard through the mug handle. Viola. So easy.

Step 4: Attach the sail

I used safety pins to attach a single bed flat sheet to the yard arm. However, you can use whatever you have handy. Let your kids experiment with clothespegs, tying knots or any other way they can think of to attach the sail. They may discover a better way than I did to do this step.

Step 5: Hoist the sail

Place the end of the mast, not attached to the yard arm into the umbrella stand.

If you already have an umbrella stand to use, then great. If not then a water-filled one would be perfect for this DIY pirate ship. That way, your kids can put it into place themselves. It’ll be light without the water, and then they can grab the hose pipe and fill it up. Summertime fun anyone?