How to fold an origami pirate ship
A real project. Fold and cut a brown hull with three gun ports, then raise its stern and bow with outside reverse folds. Add a cannon, two masts, three white sails of different shapes, a crow's nest and a black flag, glue it all together and stand the ship on its keel.
You need: Brown paper 29.7 × 18 cm, 8 smaller pieces in black, dark brown, light brown and white (sizes in steps). Scissors, glue stick, white gel pen.. Challenge, 39 steps, about 50 minutes.
Steps
- Hull: the rail. Start with the hull: brown paper 29.7 × 18 cm (cut 3 cm off an A4 sheet), white side up, long sides across. Fold the top edge down 9 mm. This strip is the rail.
- Hull: crease the port strip. Fold the bottom edge up 1.5 cm and crease it hard. The gun ports will be cut into this strip.
- Hull: open the strip. Fold the strip back down, so the sheet lies flat with a crease along the bottom.
- Hull: fold in half. Fold the right edge over to the left edge.
- Hull: fold the ends over. Fold the left edges over to the right on a crease 6 cm from the middle fold. Their ends stick out 3 cm past the middle fold.
- Hull: cut the gun ports. Through all layers, cut away the strip below the crease in two places: 9 mm next to the left fold, and all of it from 9 mm before the middle fold out to the ends.
- Hull: open the ends. Unfold the ends.
- Hull: open it out. Unfold the sheet. The strip has three square notches, and its ends are cut short.
- Hull: bottom up to the rail. Fold the bottom edge up until it meets the rail. White shows through the notches: these are the gun ports.
- Hull: fold in half. Fold the bottom half behind along the middle. This fold is the keel.
- Hull: snip the keel. Snip along the keel 8 cm in from each end, so the sides come apart there. Then cut the bottom corner off the right end, from 3 cm along the keel to the top corner.
- Hull: raise the stern. Outside-reverse-fold the left end straight up: crease from the end of the snip up and back at 45°, front layer towards you, back layer behind.
- Hull: raise the bow. Outside-reverse-fold the right end straight up the same way, at 45° from the end of the snip. Its cut top slopes up towards the front: the bow.
- Cannon: new sheet. Set the hull aside. Take a 4 × 3 cm black piece, white side up, long sides across.
- Cannon: edges to the middle. Fold the top and bottom edges in to meet in the middle, making a thick black barrel.
- Cannon: taper the muzzle. Fold the two right corners behind on a long slant, so the barrel narrows towards the right end: the muzzle.
- Mainmast: new sheet. Set the cannon aside. Take a 1.2 × 26 cm dark brown strip, white side up, standing up and down.
- Mainmast: fold in half. Fold the right edge over to the left edge, so the mast is brown on both sides and twice as stiff.
- Foremast: new sheet. Set the mainmast aside. Take a 1.2 × 19.5 cm dark brown strip, white side up.
- Foremast: fold in half. Fold it in half lengthwise, like the mainmast.
- Glue the masts and cannon in. Glue the tall mast 3.5 cm behind the middle port and the short one 4 cm in front of it, between the hull's sides down to the keel. Glue the cannon in the bow.
- Mainsail: new sheet. Set the ship aside. The sails are white paper. Take an 8.5 × 13 cm rectangle, standing up and down.
- Mainsail: fold up. Fold the bottom part up on a crease a little below the middle.
- Mainsail: fold back down. Fold it back down on a crease 8 mm higher. This pleat across the sail makes it look full of wind.
- Mainsail: slope the sides. Fold the top corners behind on a long slant, from 1 cm in along the top to 5.5 cm down each side. The sail is now wider at the bottom.
- Foresail: new sheet. Set the mainsail aside. Take a white 5.8 × 8.5 cm rectangle, standing up and down.
- Foresail: hem the top. Fold the top edge behind 6 mm. This hem is where it is glued across the foremast.
- Foresail: round the bottom. Round off both bottom corners with two small cuts each, so the sail's bottom looks soft and rounded.
- Jib: new sheet. Set the foresail aside. Take a white 9 × 8.5 cm rectangle, long sides across.
- Jib: fold in half. Fold the left edge over to the right edge.
- Jib: cut a triangle. Cut from the top left corner to the bottom right corner. The fold on the left glues behind the foresail; the low front corner reaches the bow.
- Glue on the sails. Glue the mainsail 7 cm below the tall mast's top, the foresail's hem 2.5 cm below the short mast's top, and the jib's fold 4 mm behind the foresail's front edge.
- Crow's nest: new sheet. Set the ship aside. Take a 3.5 cm light brown square, coloured side up.
- Crow's nest: fold in half. Fold the top half behind, so it is brown on both sides.
- Crow's nest: shape the tub. Fold the bottom corners behind on a slant, so it is narrower at the bottom like a little barrel.
- Flag: new sheet. Set the nest aside. Take a 4.6 × 6.2 cm black piece, coloured side up, standing up and down.
- Flag: fold in half. Fold the top half behind, so the flag is black on both sides.
- Crow's nest and flag. Glue the flag to the top of the tall mast, flying forwards. Glue the crow's nest on the front of the mast just below it.
- Stand it up. Bend the hull gently just behind the mainsail and between the sails, both ends away from you, and stand the ship on its keel.
Hoist the colours!
Draw a white skull and crossbones on the flag and two windows on the stern. Then sail it across the table, matey!