MOTOR BOATS FOR KIDS

Combine the joy and excitement of mechanical toys with your science project by constructing an air propelled motor boat. This is also a good way of learning about  simple electric circuits. Your boat will have a battery, a switch and a motor with propeller. This can be used as a science project related to electricity, force or floatation. This idea is good for a display project, an engineering project and an experimental (investigatory) project.

The main structure is made of Styrofoam board that is available at hardware stores and home improvement stores.

Material used in this project are: Simple Switch, Electric Motor, Battery Holder, Propeller, Screws and Wire. 

All the materials are from the "Car Boat Kit". This kit also include wheels and axles in case you need to convert your boar to a hybrid vehicle that can drive both in dry land and in water.

Procedure: 

Start by cutting the foam. You can cut the Styrofoam easily with utility knives. Just practice for a few minutes and you will get the grip on it. Hold the knife in a sharp angle and don't push too much. You may need to go over the same line a few times until you get a clean cut.

Styrofoam boards can be glued using white glue or wood glue. They can also be painted using any latex paint or water based paint.

Feel free on making your own design. Just reserve a place where you can place the electric motor and secure it with tape. Battery is a heavy piece; it must be centered in order for your boat to have a balance on water. Adjustments may be made by placing other heavy objects onboard.

Please note that with this method you are not restricted to a boat. You may also make a car that drives by pushing the air backward. You just need four wheels and four nails. Make sure that the wheels are large enough and can spin freely.

To hide the battery and switch, you may also use some cardboard to make a cabin and place it over those parts.

The boat that you see in the picture does not have a steering mechanism. You may try different possible methods to construct a steeling mechanism in your boat.

Finally you can make a vehicle that can drive both on land and in water. To do that simply attach the wheels to the sides of the boat.

If you did not get sheaves in your kit, use the wheels of any plastic toy car instead.

Material that comes with the kit may be used in many other projects as well.