The Transportation Museum Andrew Mancini, Director
Transportation Museum 2016 > Float Your Boat
This exhibit at the Transportation Museum combined education with hands-on activities. Guests of all ages learned the science behind how boats float and what buoyancy and displacement is. Then, guests used their new knowledge to build a boat made out of LEGOs. The goal was to build a boat that could hold the most cargo containers without sinking.
How can a boat float?
A boat will float if its gravitational, downward force (determined by the boat's weight) is less than the upward buoyancy (determined by the weight of the water displaced by the boat).
A small rock that is heavy, for example, only displaces a little water. The rock will sink because its weight is greater than the weight of the water the rock displaces. A huge boat will float because, even though it weighs a lot, the weight of the water displaced is greater.
Learn more about buoyancy and displacement >
Alex S. built a boat with the most cargo containers, 185. Congratulations to him and everyone who designed a boat. We hope you had fun at the exhibit!
The Largest Container Ship
The largest container ship in the world is the MSC Oscar. Named for the CEO's eight-year-old son, the ship can hold 19,224 containers. The ship is 395 meters long and uses 225 tons of fuel every day. The ship cost $140,000,000 to build and can carry 197,362 tons.
View a video of the ship >
Build Your Own Boat
Like the guests at the 2016 Transportation Museum, you can build your own boat out of LEGO pieces. You'll only need a base plate and some 2 x 4 and 2 x 8 bricks. If you would like to add decorations, minifigures, or more storage to your boat, feel free! If you have any questions about the project, contact us.
Read the instructions >
IMAGE COURTESY ITV.COM
Who has the most containers?
At the Transportation Museum in September 2016, Alex S. had the most cargo containers on his boat—185! Congratulations to Alex S. If you're building a boat at home that floats and can hold cargo containers, however many, send us a picture! We'd love to see how you got your boat to float and what design touches you added on.
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