
Balancing forces to design a boat
Using knowledge of forces in an engineering design context
The balancing forces to build a boat activity tasks participants to apply scientific and mathematical understanding of forces (resistance, buoyancy and thrust) and Newton’s 3 laws of motion, in an engineering and design context.
Relate speed to the streamlining in boat design and the shape of a boat’s hull. Consider the balanced and unbalanced forces the boat needs to withstand for maximum efficiency. This activity will demonstrate the principles of hydrodynamics, a similar set of principles to aerodynamics but involving water.
This activity is designed to be taught through science and design and technology simultaneously, as a cross-curricular project. However, it can also be tackled independently from each subject.
Download the activity sheets for free below!
All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download and are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs.
Links to stream and download the videos can be found resources section below.
Tools/resources required
- Projector/whiteboard
The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
Please do share your classroom learning highlights with us @IETeducation
Available Downloads
Videos
Skeleton Bob home
Skeleton Bob concept
Skeleton Bob - how used
Skeleton Bob applications
Skeleton Bob technology
Kristan Bromley interview
Richard Bromley interview
Dan Fleetcroft interview
Shelley Rudman interview
Related resources
We’re upgrading our systems, and this includes changes to our customer and member account log in, MyIET. It’s part of our big picture plan to deliver a great experience for you and our wider engineering community.
Whilst most of our websites remain available for browsing, it will not be possible to log in to purchase products or access services from Thursday, 17 April to Wednesday, 30 April 2025. Our Member Relations team is here to help and for many of our services, including processing payments or orders, we’ll be able to support you over the phone on +44 (0)1438 765678 or email via membership@theiet.org.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.
For further information related to specific products and services, please visit our FAQs webpage.