{"title":"How to Make a Paper Boat (Origami)","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/paper-crafts/how-to-make-a-paper-boat","category":{"slug":"paper-crafts","name":"Paper Crafts"},"creator":{"name":"EzOrigami","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuDSChITvj04FWY9dvyzgpA","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNba3jbBSOw"},"tldr":"Fold a classic origami paper boat from one rectangular sheet. 7 simple steps, no tools or glue needed. Traditional design that actually floats in real water.","totalDurationSeconds":264,"difficulty":"easy","tools":[],"materials":["1 rectangular sheet of paper (US letter or A4 - any color)"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Make Two Center Creases","text":"Lay the paper horizontally with the long side facing you. Fold the bottom edge up to the top edge to make a horizontal crease, then unfold. Now fold the right edge over to the left edge to make a vertical crease, then unfold.You should see two perpendicular crease lines dividing the rectangle into four equal sections. These are reference creases - everything else folds toward them."},{"number":2,"title":"Fold the Top Corners In","text":"Rotate the paper so the long side now runs vertically. Fold the top-right corner down and over so it aligns with the center vertical crease, just like the start of a paper airplane. Then fold the top-left corner the same way.The top of the paper now forms a triangular point with a rectangular flap left at the bottom."},{"number":3,"title":"Fold the Bottom Rectangle Up - Both Sides","text":"Lift the top layer of the bottom rectangle and fold it up against the base of the triangle as far as it will go. Crease firmly along the bottom edge.Flip the entire model over and do the exact same thing on the back side. You should now have a triangle with a small flap folded up at the bottom on both faces."},{"number":4,"title":"Squash Open Into a Diamond","text":"Pick up the model and look at it from underneath. Slightly separate the two layers in the middle so the inside is visible. Push the left and right corners toward each other until they meet at the bottom.As the corners come together, the model collapses into a diamond shape with two layers. Flatten it out gently against the table."},{"number":5,"title":"Tuck the Side Flaps Under","text":"Look at the new diamond from the side. The two thin flaps along the bottom edge will not lie completely flat - they overlap each other. Tuck the right flap underneath the left flap so they lock together.Flip the model over and tuck the same way on the back. The diamond now lies completely flat with no loose edges."},{"number":6,"title":"Fold Bottom Corner Up to Top","text":"Take the bottom corner of the diamond and fold it up to meet the top corner on the front side. Crease all the way across so the front layer becomes a smaller triangle.Flip the model over and do the same fold on the back side. The result is a smaller, tighter diamond with crisp creases."},{"number":7,"title":"Pull Apart Into a Boat","text":"Lift the model and slightly separate the two layers along the open top. Grab one of the triangular flaps in each hand and gently pull them apart in opposite directions, opening the diamond into a boat shape.Press a clean crease along the new bottom edge so the boat sits flat. Tilt it up slightly with your fingers to round out the hull, and you're done. Float it on water to check the seal."}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-05-20T17:27:10.698Z","published":"2026-05-01T17:37:30.664Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}