How to build a brick tugboat
To build a brick tugboat, lay red bricks across for the bottom of the hull with blue bricks on top and a pointy front, add a white cabin with light-blue windows and a white roof, stack a black-and-red smokestack behind it, then add a yellow towing post and a red flag. 30 pieces, 4 steps, ages 4–9.
The tugboat build at a glance
| Pieces | 30 (13 kinds) |
|---|---|
| Steps | 4 |
| Ages | 4–9 |
| Colors | red, blue, black, white, light blue, yellow |
| Finished size | 14 × 4 studs, about 5.8 cm (2.3 in) tall |
| Special pieces | None: plain bricks |
Parts you need
6× red 2×4 brick
5× blue 2×4 brick
3× black 2×2 brick
2× white 2×4 brick
2× white 1×4 brick
2× blue 1×2 brick
2× light blue 1×2 brick
2× yellow 1×2 brick
2× yellow 1×1 brick
1× blue 2×2 brick
1× blue 1×4 brick
1× red 2×2 brick
1× red 1×2 brick
Step-by-step instructions
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1 The pointy boat hull
Lay red bricks across, then blue bricks on top. Make a pointy front!
Find: 6 red 2×4 bricks, 5 blue 2×4 bricks, 2 blue 1×2 bricks, 1 blue 2×2 brick, 1 blue 1×4 brick
Did you know? Tugboats are small, but they are strong enough to push giant ships.
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2 The captain's cabin
Build a white cabin with light blue windows, then add a white roof!
Find: 2 white 2×4 bricks, 2 white 1×4 bricks, 2 light blue 1×2 bricks
Did you know? The captain steers the tugboat from the cabin, called the wheelhouse.
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3 The tall smokestack
Stack black, red, black, black squares behind the cabin. Puff puff!
Find: 3 black 2×2 bricks, 1 red 2×2 brick
Did you know? Old tugboats burned coal, and smoke puffed out of the tall smokestack.
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4 Towing post and flag
Add a yellow post at the back, and a red flag up front!
Find: 2 yellow 1×2 bricks, 2 yellow 1×1 bricks, 1 red 1×2 brick
Did you know? Tugboats tie strong ropes to the post at the back to pull ships.
Questions parents ask
How many pieces do you need for a brick tugboat?
30: 6 red 2×4 bricks, 5 blue 2×4 bricks, 3 black 2×2 bricks and 10 more kinds. The full list is in “Parts you need”.
Are these tugboat instructions free?
Yes. Every step is on this page.
What if I’m missing a color?
Use a brick of the same size in another color. The shapes hold the model together; the colors are only for looks.
