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How to Draw a Boat (Easy Step-by-Step for Kids)

To draw a boat, start with a wide hull that has a flat top and a round bottom. Add a tall mast, a big sail on the right and a small sail on the left. Finish with three wavy water lines under the boat.

Finished cartoon sailboat with a red hull, a brown mast, a big white sail, a small yellow sail and blue water between three wavy lines
The finished boat
Steps
6 easy steps
You need
  • Pencil
  • Eraser
  • Black marker
  • Red, brown, yellow and blue crayons

Updated

Teaching this to a class?

Show one step at a time on the board and wait for the class before the next. The directed drawing for kids page explains how to run it.

How to draw a boat step by step

  1. A wide boat hull with a long, almost flat top line and a round bottom

    Step 1 of 6: Draw a wide boat hull with a long, almost flat top line and a round bottom.

  2. A tall thin mast made of two straight lines with a round top, standing in the middle of the hull

    Step 2 of 6: Add a tall, thin mast in the middle of the hull. Use two straight lines and a round top.

  3. A big triangle sail on the right side of the mast, its curved bottom edge meeting the top of the hull

    Step 3 of 6: Draw a big triangle sail on the right of the mast. Curve its bottom edge down to the hull.

  4. A smaller triangle sail on the left side of the mast, with its straight side next to the mast

    Step 4 of 6: Add a smaller triangle sail on the left of the mast, with its straight side next to the mast.

  5. Three wavy water lines under the boat, the top one crossing the hull and the bottom one shorter

    Step 5 of 6: Draw three wavy water lines, the last one shorter. Erase the hull bottom below the top wave.

  6. The sailboat colored with a red hull, a brown mast, a yellow small sail, a white big sail and blue water between the wave lines

    Step 6 of 6: Color the hull red, mast brown, small sail yellow, water between waves blue. Keep the big sail white.

Tips for little artists

  • Tip: Press lightly with the pencil first. Trace the lines you like with the marker, then erase the rest.

  • Tip: Draw the mast with two straight lines close together so it looks like a thin pole.

  • Tip: Make the right sail taller and wider than the left one so the two sails look different.

Make it yours

  • Boat with a flag

    Draw a small triangle flag at the top of the mast.

  • Sunny day

    Draw a round sun and two small clouds in the sky above your boat.

  • Striped sail

    Draw a few stripes across the big sail and color each stripe a different color.

Common mistakes and easy fixes

  • The boat looks like a bowl

    Make the hull much wider than it is tall, with a long top line.

  • The sails float above the boat

    Bring the bottom of each sail down close to the top of the hull.

  • The boat sits on top of the water

    Let the top wave cross the hull, then erase the hull bottom below it.

Fun facts about the boat

  • Sailboats have sails, large pieces of cloth raised on posts called masts. (Source: Britannica Kids)

  • Pictures of cloth sails appear in Egyptian art from about 3300 BC. (Source: Britannica Kids)

  • Triangle sails that follow the length of a ship can take the wind on either their front or back surfaces. (Source: Britannica Kids)

Questions grown-ups ask

How to draw a boat easy?

Draw a wide hull with a round bottom and a tall mast in the middle. Add two triangle sails and three wavy lines for the water.

How to draw a boat on water?

Draw three wavy lines across the bottom of the hull. Erase the hull line below the top wave, then color the water blue.

How to draw a boat step by step?

Follow the 6 steps above: hull, mast, big sail, small sail and water lines. Color the boat in the last step.

If your sails came out a little crooked, that's fine. Your boat is ready to sail across the page. More easy drawings for kids are on the home page.

Step 1 of 6

A wide boat hull with a long, almost flat top line and a round bottom
Draw a wide boat hull with a long, almost flat top line and a round bottom.