SnipFold

Faceted Display Sailboat

An open, five-sided flat-bottom hull, square paper mast with four glue feet, and two flat triangular sails. A dry tabletop decoration, not a floating or waterproof boat.

Materials

  • 200-240 gsm cardstock for all four supplied parts
  • Scissors or craft knife and cutting mat (adult supervision)
  • Ruler and blunt scoring tool
  • PVA craft glue
  • Small clips and a square corner as temporary drying aids (remove after drying)

Finished size: 140 long x 50 wide x 130 high mm; hull rim 22 mm high

Steps

CutValley foldMountain foldGlue area

  1. Print and measure

    Print at 100% actual size. Measure the 50 mm ruler before cutting. H1 bottom is 140 mm from flat stern to pointed bow and 50 mm across. Cut H1 perimeter, retaining all five tapered tabs; score its dashed lines.

  2. Raise the hull walls

    Put the printed face upward as the inside. Valley-fold each of the five 22 mm wall panels up 90 degrees from the bottom. Keep the pentagonal bottom flat. The pointed end is the bow; the straight 50 mm end is the stern.

  3. Close five hull corners

    Fold each 5 mm tapered tab inward onto the inside of the adjacent wall. Match the vertical wall edges flush, with rims level at 22 mm. Apply glue on the tab face touching that wall and clip. Fit the polygon rather than forcing every corner to 90 degrees: stern turns 90 degrees, side-to-bow turns 35.54 degrees, bow turn 108.92 degrees. Let all five seams set flat.

  4. Score and close the mast

    Cut M1 including the four separate 7 x 12 mm feet and tapered 3 mm seam. Score the long lines at 8, 16, 24 and 32 mm from the straight strip edge. With print outside, mountain-fold each 90 degrees into an 8 x 8 mm square tube, 130 mm tall. Glue the 3 mm seam inside the first panel; do not glue the feet together. Hold square until set.

  5. Spread the mast feet

    Valley-fold all four feet outward 90 degrees at the tube bottom so their undersides share one flat plane. Each foot projects 12 mm. Keep the open tube square, not crushed. Glue goes on the underside of each foot, opposite the printed face.

  6. Anchor the mast

    Mark the hull bottom centreline halfway across its 50 mm width. Place the mast centre 60 mm forward of the stern on that line. Align two tube faces parallel to the long hull sides. Its feet span 32 x 32 mm, from 44 to 76 mm forward of the stern. Glue all four feet flat to the floor. Hold the mast vertical with a square corner; allow at least 30 minutes or the glue maker full handling time before adding sails.

  7. Attach the aft mainsail

    Cut S1 as one piece, keeping the dotted 8 mm-wide rectangular lap. Leave the sail flat, without folding the lap. Glue the lap against one long-side mast face, with the 51 mm triangular foot pointing toward the stern. Set its lower edge 35 mm above the hull floor (13 mm above the rim); its top is 120 mm above the floor, 10 mm below the mast tip. Press only the lap and let set.

  8. Attach the forward jib

    Cut S2 retaining its 8 mm lap. Glue it flat to the OPPOSITE parallel mast face with the 61 mm triangular foot pointing toward the bow. Align the lower edge at the same 35 mm floor height. Its top reaches 108 mm, leaving 22 mm of mast above. Do not wrap either sail around the mast or join their free edges.

  9. Dry and check the display

    Leave upright on a flat dry table until the glue fully cures, preferably overnight. Remove drying aids. Check that the whole bottom sits flat, the mast is upright, all feet stay bonded and the model stands unaided. If it leans or rocks, reseat the feet before the glue sets; record unresolved instability in the first physical trial. Keep away from water and drafts.

Notes

The 3D model shows each piece in its finished, idealized shape; the exploded view only spreads the pieces apart. It is not a paper-physics simulation: curved shapes are forming guides, not exact physical folding or proof of developability, and intermediate fold shapes are not supplied.