Woody the Tugboat – helping to keep plastic out of the bathtub and the ocean
Made from New Zealand grown Paulownia – the second lightest wood in the world, so it will float high and dry in the stormiest bathtub
Woody is a very personal project, stemming from a lifetime interest in toy design and the pleasure that can be gained from working with honest materials and simple tools. I made my first wooden boat as a 4 year old using, much to my father’s dismay, a whole box of his flat head, copper nails to represent portholes. So here I am on the cusp of turning eighty, still making toy wooden boats but this time, without using nails.
Ken Redmond
Paulownia
Woody the Tugboat is made from New Zealand grown Paulownia – the second lightest wood in the world. We source our Paulownia from a small dairy –forestry farm enterprise, in the Waikato. There are a lot of animal welfare and environment benefits in this type of farming system. The trees provide shade and shelter for the cattle and they enjoy eating the summer prunings and the leaves of the autumn fall. Paulownia on farm significantly benefits soil structure, with the trees deep roots, improving nutrient cycling (especially nitrogen) for surrounding pasture, and enriching organic matter. Paulownia is a good news story for the New Zealand environment. It is light but strong so it’s used to build boats and aircraft components and surfboards for world champions.
How we make Woody
After the wood arrives in our workshop, we plane it smooth on all four sides and then glue several pieces, side by side to form a wide board about 2 metres long. We then take this to our friends at Verdure Surf to cut out the basic shapes on their CNC router. Then it’s back to our workshop to free the rough shapes from the blank for final shaping and sanding. After that it’s time for painting and final assembly.
The paint we use
We like to keep all our inputs as local as possible so we use the Natural Paints Company’s child safe colours, topped off with a coating of food safe bench oil to help repel bathtub or ocean waves. To keep Woody the Tugboat in good condition, lift the little boat from the water after play and leave to dry in the shade. And like any hardworking tugboat, Woody may need a little maintenance from time to time – so you can send Woody to us with return paid packaging and we’ll refurbish Woody for just $20.
Open ended play
AI and the metaverse are revolutionary technologies but the tangible world still has much to teach. To feel the weight of an object – to find its point of balance. To hear the dawn chorus and to smell New Zealand forest made fresh by rain. To pour water from one cup to another. To chase ocean waves as they recede from the shore – to draw in the sand. To make marks with the burnt end of a stick. To draw with crayon, paint and ink. Play on, we say, play on for now and forever play on.
Ordering Woody the Tugboat
Woody the Tugboat can be ordered from hello@KenzoAhoy.co.nz. The cost is $55 + post and packaging. We can also personalize Woody with a child’s name and date of birth, lasered along the little ships gunwale – additional charge of $40.
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