A Paddle Wheel Boat Built From Junk

Hello everyone! In this instructable, we will show you how to build a small paddle boat out of a broken toy, a piece of packaging foam and a handful of ice cream sticks. The motor came out of a broken toy. The body of the boat is made of Styrofoam from home appliance packaging. The paddle wheels were constructed from popsicle sticks. When the switch is turned on, the wheels spin and propel the boat across the water. This is precisely how actual boat operated for a century before. As a wheel spins with flat blades pushes the water backward, the water have a reactive force in the opposite direction, propelling the ship forward. It’s easy to follow. You just have to cut, you glue, and you twist two wires together.

1. Small toy motor x 2 from old toy
2. Battery holder x 2
3. Thin wire, red and black from old toy
4. Styrofoam packaging
5. Popsicles/Icecream sticks x 38~44
6. Glue gun
7. Scissors/cutters
8. Batteries x 4

1. Mark the center of the stick.
2. Mark a small notch there that is about 2mm wide and has a depth of roughly half the stick's width.
3. Use a knife to cut along the marked line by making multiple passes; do not try to cut all the way through in a single stroke.
4. Gradually scrape out the material from the center section.
5. Check the fit by placing the other stick against it; it should fit snugly. A tight fit is better than a loose one, as a tight fit can be adjusted with sandpaper, whereas a loose fit cannot be fixed.

1. Interlock three notched sticks to form a six-armed star shape.
2. Apply a small amount of glue to each notch, then place the assembly on a flat table to dry.
3. Create a second star shape in the same way. Using only one star shape could cause the wheel to wobble and create friction; combining two creates a sturdy, straight structure.

1. Take the two stars you made in the previous step.
2. Connect them with remaining popsicle sticks so that each side of the finished wheel has five sticks in total.
3. Glue the sticks flat against the stars so the whole wheel stays straight and rigid.

1. Glue one motor to each side of the wheel so the motor is attached to the center of the wheel in stable.
2. Use the remaining popsicle sticks to build a support frame that will hold the wheel and motors on the boat.
3. Position the paddle wheel at one end of the frame.
4. Add two more sticks across the middle and the opposite end of the frame, creating space for the battery holders and enough space for the wheel to spin freely.

1. Twist one battery wire onto one motor terminal. (red wire to be up and black wire to be down)
2. Twist wire onto the second motor terminal. (black wire to be up and red wire to be down)

1. We did not carve much a body from scratch. We used the styrofoam tray that came packed around an appliance mostly as it was. It is wide, flat and already the right shape. So, we cut some of the bottom part to match the height and the center part to put the wheels in it.
2. Turn the foam over and look at the bottom.
3. Slice off any feet or ribs that stick down, so the bottom is as flat as you can get it.

1. Thrust in two wooden stick to the styrofoam boat to provide deck
2. Glue the support along both sides of the foam and the deck
3. The paddles must swing clear of the foam on both sides. Check by turning it slowly with a finger before the glue sets.
4. Spin it by hand. It should keep turning for a few seconds on its own. If it stops dead, something is rubbing.