Is it possible to build a boat out of LEGO bricks? I appreciate you couldn't make it watertight but would a LEGO boat float by itself due to the buoyancy of the bricks themselves? Pictures of any home-made floating constructions would be really interesting. The plastic is a bit heavier than water and should sink, however in practice I have experienced that 2x4 bricks (and the like) have a tendency to trap air inside them and actually float rather well. It probably isn't failsafe, however for shorter periods of time (like a half to a full hour) would probably work fine. (I haven't actually tested the time it could stay afloat, I'm trying it out now. When my small mini-boat has sunk, I will add the time here.) 24 hours have passed, it is still floating. It sunk about 1mm compared to the beginning, but nothing of importance. However while I did push it around from time to time, it was still in still water and stationary most of the time. How it will perform during play is unknown.
Notice how the internal structure of the bricks causes the air to be trapped inside them. A few years back there was this solid single-piece hulled police boat which would float. There was also a small red boat (pre-2000) that came with part of a pirate set (I believe, anyway) As for building a boat from scratch...no. It tended to capsise then sink (somewhat impressively). Place 2x 4x2 bricks on another and place in water, they only float on their side. I expect this is down to a center of gravity but I'm not a sciencey type so I can't confirm for sure. i had a police-boat when i was a child that had a one-piece-body, so it was watertight and able to swim: there are some other LEGO-boats with similar bodys (even some bigger ones) that should also be able to swim. There is another not mentioned way to achieve flotation. My kid discovered it today with his "water bat": surface tension. The long flat wings did the trick : ) It is not exactly due to the buoyancy of the bricks themselves as wanted in the question, but might help as a complement.
For more on the Physics underlying: In addition of the various boat hulls, you can use pneumatic tanks for extra buoyancy. If you want to motorize your boat, keep in mind that means extra weight, which has to be countered in some way. My kids had Captain Redbeard's Pirate Ship - it certainly floated in the bathtub! I believe many of the other Lego pirate ships could float, particularly if they had molded single piece hulls - see this list. Yes, if built carefully. When I was a kid I made a number of lego boats to play with in the tub, and later in the pool. The main thing I remember was to make the hull upside down and out of at least two interlocking layers. Lining the inside with plate also helped. My children play with the lego fishing boat (see picture) in our bath tube. This design does have a serious flaw (imo). Even if there are very small water waves in our bath tube, water enters the boat which then becomes to heavy and sinks. So if you are planning to built your own lego boat i would make sure the sides are high enough to prevent water from entering the boat.
Or if you are really clever make a water drainage system like normal boats have. Lego fishing boat 4642 You also asked for some examples. Found this simple but effective example online. For a very small "boat" - something like a 4x8 plate with 1x8 and 1x2 brick sides it might stay afloat for a short amount of time before the leakage takes it down. For larger stuff, LEGO is just too heavy when you get in to building the necessary structure for a real boat. There were some sealed-hull boat sets I remember from childhood that were designed to float, so using the special parts from them would make it possible. Already a correct answer accepted, but... the original question seems to be "do Lego bricks float by themselves?" Most Lego bricks are made of ABS plastic which has a specific gravity greater than 1 (but only slightly). So, they are heavier than water and will not float naturally. You can get small bricks to float initially since small bubbles cling to their surface, but they will all sink eventually.
Since ABS isn't affected by salt water - it might be possible to increase the salinity of the water to a point where the bricks naturally float (would need to be higher concentration than sea water...) Styrofoam bits trapped in brick-built chambers might work Ok to keep structures afloat. We're looking for long answers that provide some explanation and context. Don't just give a one-line answer; explain why your answer is right, ideally with citations. Answers that don't include explanations may be removed. I'd have to say that in general, only the parts that are designed to float will do so reliably. You may be able to make some sort of raft by inverting several large bricks (studs down). I haven't tried Lego bricks in water (other than a police boat set), however, when using Duplo's in the bath tub we were only able to make submerged structures. The water easily seeps into the bottoms of the bricks and causes them to sink. Yeah they float but make the hull wide not narrow as it will stay up right if you make the hull wide.
Narrow means top heavy. I first started making LEGO boats now I make home built boats. And no need to be water tight for LEGO just get more surface area. Who knows you might even be able to make a cruise ship that floats. Yes, just as long as the bottom is able to displace the boats weight onto the water.. Just like how a Polar Bear can walk on thin ice; Would you like to answer one of these unanswered questions instead?Oztrail Latitude Tent (12 Person) 11-Disc DVD Box Set only R599 Click Right Here for LEGO City Police Station The Search for Stinky Objective: Go to Cherry Tree Bank Now that you’re armed with your police communicator, your GamePad shows you a handy map of LEGO City whenever you’re exploring outdoors. On the GamePad is a police shield icon that shows the location of your next objective—the bank that’s being robbed. Press and hold the police shield icon to set a waypoint, and a navigation route will lead you straight there. Hop into the nearby Squaddie and follow those green studs to reach the bank!
Chase arrives just in time to witness a bunch of clowns fleeing the bank with big bags of cash. Looks like you got here just in time! Objective: Arrest the getaway driver You’ve gotta catch those clowns! Pursue their getaway van through the city, following the green studs to help you track it down. Press and hold Y to use turbos and catch up to the van. Ram into the van four times to destroy it. The getaway driver flees on foot after you destroy his van. Press X to exit your vehicle and pursue him on foot. Chase is a faster runner than the getaway driver, and it won’t be long before you catch him. Just keep running until you get close, then press A when prompted to knock down the driver.Quickly press A again to slap on the handcuffs and arrest the robber. Chase then receives a call on his communicator after arresting the getaway driver. Answer it to receive your next objective. Objective: Look for a robber at the red cafe A suspicious clown has been spotted at the Red Cafe—he could be one of the bank robbers!
Press ZL to blow your police whistle and stop a passing vehicle; then press X to commandeer the vehicle. Being a police officer has its advantages! Follow the green studs to reach the Red Cafe. When you arrive, exit your vehicle and step into the small objective beacon. A trail of studs appears, guiding you up the nearby stairs. Follow the studs to the upstairs patio. Ellie calls and informs Chase that she has upgraded his communicator with a new tool. Approach the nearby scan spot and press A to activate your new Criminal Scan mode. Hold your Wii U GamePad up to your TV screen to begin searching for hidden suspects! When you discover a suspect, keep him centered on your scanner until you establish a lock. No crook can hide from Chase McCain! Objective: Ebter the garden and arrest the robber The suspect is hiding inside a shed in the garden across the street. Enter the garden by climbing the LEGO vines that the gardener grows. Run to the right and stand on the action symbol in front of the shed.
Press A to open the shed—the robber then flees to higher ground. Pick up the crate of junk inside the shed and carry it to the left. Place the crate on the green LEGO mat to empty its contents and discover some LEGO bricks. You know what to do! Build those bricks to create a useful object— in this case, a large mushroom. Jump on the mushroom, then jump again and hold B to bounce off the mushroom, soaring up to the garden’s upper level. The robber flees to an even higher level. You’ve got to catch him! Approach the nearby scan spot and use your communicator to discover a trail of footprints, just as you did back at the police station. The footprints lead to a suspicious pile of leaves. Press A to search through them and discover a valve wheel. Pick up the valve wheel and place it on the nearby water pump. The pump starts working, but the water won’t spray because the hose is being blocked! Follow the hose to discover the first object that’s blocking the water flow—a large rock.
Smash the rock to remove this first obstacle. Continue to follow the hose and smash a trash can that’s also causing a blockage. The next object that’s blocking the hose is a lawn chair. Smash this as well. Keep following the hose to discover a green Dumpster that’s causing the final blockage. Destroy this last obstacle to fully restore the water flow and make some LEGO vines grow. Climb those vines and hurry after that crook! The robber flees as soon as Chase approaches. Hurry after him and press A when you get close to trip him, just as you did to the getaway driver. Quickly press A again to cuff the robber. Objective: Locate the last robber The third and final clown crook has been spotted near the docks. Press ZL to blow your whistle and stop a passing vehicle, then hop in and follow the green studs to reach the docks. Park inside the glowing objective beacon, and Chase will spy a nearby scan spot. Jump up the crates to reach the scan spot. Use Criminal Scan mode again to search the docks for the hiding robber.
The communicator reveals that the robber is hiding aboard a large cargo ship. However, the pier’s gate is closed—approach the gate to speak with a friendly dockworker who needs help opening the gate. The dockworker drives his forklift over to a nearby building. Follow him and then jump onto the forklift, which will lift you to the building’s roof. Smash the clutter on the roof to unblock a door, then go inside. Pull the lever inside the building to open the pier’s gate. Well, that was easy! Boarding the Cargo Ship Now you just need to get onto that cargo ship. Another dockworker will help you—after you help him first by retrieving his lost sandwich. Go to the nearby scan spot and use your communicator to follow a seagull’s waddling footprints. Sure enough, the footprints lead to the thieving seagull. Pick up the sandwich and bring it back to the dockworker. Hand the worker his “sammich,” and he’ll order the crane operator to lower a lift.