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How to make a homemade Off-Shore Battle game

SAFETY FIRST: Ask an adult to help with tools you haven't used before.

battleship

This classic game is even more fun when it’s homemade, so charge up your power drill, sharpen that saw and make this cool Off-Shore Battle game.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

  • Ruler
  • Tracing paper and tape
  • Power drill
  • Saw
  • Awl and hammer
  • Anvil pruning shears
  • Fine-tipped permanent marker
  • Wood glue
  • Screws
  • 3 10-inch-by-10-inch-by-3⁄4-inch boards
  • 2 small wooden door knobs
  • 4 hinges
  • 1 latch
  • Drill bit slightly larger than game pegs
  • 1 package of wooden skewers
  • Enough pine scraps to make the ships
  • Sandpaper
  • Red paint

WHAT YOU’LL DO

The Boards:

battleship-11. With lines spaced 3⁄4-inches apart, mark out a 7 1⁄2-by-7 1⁄2-inch grid on all three game boards. The center, vertical board has a grid with holes on both sides. The side boards have a grid only.

 

battleship-2

2. Tape tracing paper over your grid and draw diagonal lines as shown. Use an awl to punch starter holes for drilling.

 

battleship-33. Drill 1⁄4-inch-deep holes in the center of each square.

4. Use decals or a fine-tipped permanent marker to label the vertical squares A through J and the horizontal squares 1 through 10.

5. Attach the vertical board to the base with wood glue and screws.

 

battleship-46. After all the grids are complete and the holes are drilled, attach the knobs and give the boards an oil finish.

7. Put it all together using the 4 hinges.

 

The Pegs:

1. Use the pruning shears to cut the skewers into 3⁄4-inch pegs. You’ll need at least 140 pegs.

2. Paint 40 of them red.

The Ships:

  • Fashion 2 sets of 5 ships from scraps of pine.
  • Drill the 1⁄4-inch-deep holes before cutting out the ships.
  • Make 2 ships 3 3⁄4 inches long with 5 holes.
  • Make 2 ships 3 inches long with 4 holes.
  • Make 2 ships 2 1⁄4 inches long with 3 holes.
  • Make 4 ships 1 1⁄2 inches long with 2 holes.
  • Sand the ship bottoms smooth.

Get ship templates here:

You can also make the ships from plastic clay.

HOW TO PLAY

board

Players place ships on the grids of their individual boards. One player calls out a coordinate on the grid. If it’s a hit, he goes again. A miss means it’s the other player’s turn. Red pegs are used to track hits and natural-colored pegs to track misses. Whoever sinks all their opponent’s ships first wins.


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14 Comments on How to make a homemade Off-Shore Battle game

  1. this is awsome man

  2. I have The torpedo atack but this is better 😀

  3. admiral toot // November 24, 2010 at 8:33 pm // Reply

    they probably used that to plan real battles!

  4. this looks amazing cant wait to make this!

  5. The Man with the Banjo // June 29, 2010 at 3:45 pm // Reply

    I love battleship!!!!!!!!! 🙂 I’v got to try this.

  6. ducttapehero // June 22, 2010 at 3:08 pm // Reply

    Already have the game, but this is still cool!

  7. Like the idea. But where will I get 18 things and get it built all in 1 day?????!!!

  8. going to try this looks cool!!!!:)

  9. I wonder if i can get a meritbadge with this? By the way awsome idea BattleShip rocks.

  10. outdoor man // March 5, 2010 at 8:46 pm // Reply

    neat

    • megamanzeroflame // November 5, 2010 at 12:59 pm // Reply

      Are you kiding,this is more than neat. Although it costs more to make it than to get it .

      • DSNinjaX // August 6, 2012 at 4:52 pm //

        why not change up the attacks? say there is a attack called a torpedo that moves in a straight line one peg per turn? or have a moving ships rule and a base that the enemy trys to bomb to win (and ships can repair at base to. (he he))?

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