Boat Cooler Tutorial: Make Your Own Party Ice Box

I made this boat cooler for my son’s birthday party in kindergarten and it was such a hit! The unfinished wood boat was made to be used as a shelf, but with the right supplies I waterproofed it and insulated it to make a fun boat cooler. Here’s how to make your own.

Supplies Used to Make a Boat Cooler: (affiliate links included)

Step one: Paint the body of the ship with silver metallic paint. Let the paint dry completely.

Step two:  Use a craft sponge to dab Black Shimmer metallic lustre over the ship’s hull.  Clean the sponge and dab Silver Spark over the ship.  This will help create a galvanized metal effect. I love the faux paint finish technique…it’s one of my favorites.

Step three: Measure the dimensions of each section of the ship.  For this particular ship from Darice, the largest box was 7 inches square and 5 inches deep.  The next one was 7 x6x5, and the triangle was 5 inches at the widest  point.

Step four:  Use a ruler to draw the dimensions of the “box” on the fabric.  You will create a shape that looks like a plus sign.

Step five:  Cut the PUL fabric and the Solarize liner.  Pin them together.

Step six:  Pin and stitch the edges together to create boxes to place inside the shelves of the boat.

Step seven:  When the compartments are ready, stitch the three “boxes” together where they meet.

Step eight: Fold the edges of the fabric over and use a staple gun to attach the liner to the wood boat.  Staple synthetic silver trim over the staples to create a more polished look.