How to Build Rubber Band Boats

Rubber bands hold together things such as vegetables and braided hair. The ancient Mayans first used sap from the rubber tree mixed with the juice of the morning glory to make rubber. An Englishman, Stephen Perry, patented rubber bands in 1845 to hold papers together. He used vulcanized rubber, heated with other chemicals to make it stronger and weather resistant. Today, much of the rubber used commercially comes synthesized from oil. As a fun project, you can use rubber bands to help a toy boat paddle across water.

• 1

  Shape a thick piece of balsa wood into a boat hull with a utility knife. Any size should work, but an 8-inch boat is ideal to paddle in a bathtub. One side will end in a point, and cut a notch on the other end for the paddlewheel. Leave about 1/4 inch of wood on each side for the rubber band to hold onto; the cutout should be 1/2 inch longer than the width.

• 2

  Cut two square pieces of thin balsa wood for the paddlewheel. They will be 1/4 inch smaller all around than the cutout in the back of your hull.

• 3

  Cut a notch in the center of each square piece of paddlewheel approximately half its width. Glue the pieces, and slide it together making a "X" shape.

• 4

  Sand and paint your boat, and let it dry completely.

• 5

  Attach the rubber band to the paddlewheel and the sides of the back of the hull. Wind the rubber band by turning the paddlewheel until it is tight. Place your boat in the bathtub, and watch it go.