So, I got this idea stuck in my head a while back. Little tug boats. Don’t ask me why. Maybe I saw some down by the docks, or maybe it was just one of those random thoughts you get.
Anyway, I decided I was gonna make some. Not buy kits, no. That’s too easy. I wanted to make them from scratch, you know? Proper old-school style. Felt like doing something with my hands.
Getting Started – The Scavenging Phase
First thing was finding materials. I wasn’t about to go buy fancy modeling wood. Went digging in the garage. Found a pile of wood scraps left over from some other forgotten project. Perfect. Some were pine, some were something harder, didn’t really matter.
Needed other bits too. Raided the junk drawer. Found tiny screws, some old wire, bottle caps – thought maybe I could use those for something. Grabbed some wood glue and the leftover paints from when the kids were into model airplanes. Mostly thick and crusty, but good enough.
The Actual Building – Or Trying To
Okay, cutting the wood into a boat shape. Sounds simple? It wasn’t. My first attempt looked less like a tug boat and more like a floating wedge of cheese. Seriously. Had to try again. Got something vaguely boat-shaped eventually.
Then came gluing the cabin structure on top. I always, always use too much glue. It oozed out the sides, got all over my fingers. Had to wipe it off, smeared it more. Classic me. Let it dry overnight, hoping for the best.
Painting was next. Wanted that classic look – maybe a red hull, white cabin, black funnel. The paints were thick, like I thought. Tried thinning them, just made a watery mess. Went back to thick paint. You can see every brush stroke. It looks… rustic. Yeah, let’s call it rustic.
I made three of them in the end. The second and third ones were slightly less disastrous than the first. I even added little funnels made from bits of plastic tubing I found. Stuck some wire on for railings. They looked kinda like tug boats if you squinted.
So, What’s the Point?
Well, they don’t actually float properly. One leans heavily to the left, like it’s had a few too many. Another sits really low in the water – tried it in the sink. Basically, they’re shelf decorations.
But you know what? It was fun. Kept me occupied for a few evenings. Didn’t spend any money, just used up junk I already had. There’s something satisfying about making a physical thing, even if it’s a bit rubbish. They sit there on my desk now, reminding me of that little project. Just some simple, clunky, little tug boats. Better than staring at a screen all day, sometimes.
