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Building a Puff-Puff Boat

They used to be called putt-putt or puff-puff boats. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Puff-Puff Boats were popular toys, but they fell into oblivion after World War II. Children can use simple tools to build a boat that will run independently for hours, at least as long as the necessary heat source works, such as a tea light.

Materials to build a Puff-Puff Boat.

A thin copper pipe, inner diameter 0.5 cm, about 50 cm long. Plumbing stores or even hardware stores carry such pipes.
A block of Styrofoam, about 30 cm long, 20 cm wide, and 20 cm thick.
Aluminum foil
Tea light

Tinkering instructions:

The most challenging undertaking is making the spiral evaporator with the outlet and inlet nozzles from the copper pipe. The most helpful is a broomstick or a thin conduit pipe around which the pipe is wrapped twice from its center around the stem but very carefully because it must not bend. The two ends are now easily bent down once diagonally, and the last third of the ends again into the straight line with the spiral.

making the spiral evaporator with the outlet and inlet nozzles from the copper pipe | © www.youthwork-practice.com

The second step is to cut the Styrofoam block into a boat hull and push the ends or nozzles of the spiral evaporator through the stern or rear of the boat. Now wrap the spiral area with aluminum foil.

Puff-Puff Boat | © www.youthwork-practice.com

The tea light is now taken out of its aluminum bowl. A rice spike is pressed into the bottom of the bowl so that the candlesticks under the spiral.

How does the Puff-Puff Boat get going?

The easiest way is to submerge the whole boat underwater without a tea light because the tube must be filled with water, and the water must stay in the tube. On the now floating vessel, the tea light is placed under the spiral and lit. After about 30 seconds, the boat begins to move with a clatter. Physically, this is a water impulse drive. The water in the spiral evaporates and pushes outward. After evaporation and cooling, there is a vacuum suction which again pulls water into the tube.

In these 2 videos, other designs are also shown as examples. There are no limits to creativity.