When I was a kid, I used to love to play pretend.
That isn't to say that I don't still think about being an astronaut, but I have probably given up on my childhood dream of becoming a pirate. As a young boy, I would put on a makeshift eyepatch and "sail the Seven Seas." So when I saw what this handy father built for his 2-year-old son, I couldn't believe it.
This awesome DIY project is the perfect gift that a parent could give to his or her son. My childhood self was immediately jealous. This loving father built his son a wooden pirate ship bed from scratch.
And as if the finished product weren't already impressive enough, he added four secret compartments to the bed. Forget my childhood self being jealous: my adult self wants a bed with secret compartments!
This father's homemade boat bed is an amazing addition to any home. Now his son can let his imagination run wild in his very own pirate ship.
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When his son got too big to sleep in his crib anymore, this handy dad decided to make a DIY boat bed with four different secret compartments!
While he has made DIY projects before, he isn't much of a planner, so he skipped making an exact plan of what he was going to build and got right to work!
He upcycled a lot of materials to keep costs down, including leftover materials from when he built his son's crib. He simply bought some paint, a sheet of 5/8-inch plywood for the mattress to sit on, and two sheets of 1/8-inch plywood to cover the boat.
This clever DIY dad had to figure out how to cover the prow of the ship, as it required curved wood. He said, "This was probably the most difficult part of the whole project." He ran the plywood across the grain because it bends much more easily that way.
To cover the boat, he used the 1/8-inch plywood. He said, "My dad built a kayak out of 1/4-inch ply so I figured this would be plenty strong for a fake boat."
For one of the secret compartments, he cleverly made a wooden post in the corner that when pushed down would open up a secret drawer. He decided to place a pirate flag at the top of the post to disguise it!
He smartly created plenty of storage room in the second secret compartment for bedding or his son's toys.
For his third secret hiding spot, this dad made another drawer on the "starboard" side of the boat.
He painted the wood with polyurethane, green paint, and two shades of brown paint.
He then used white and darker brown paint to add a weathered effect to his son's pirate ship.
The secret side drawer was cleverly disguised by painting on his son's name. And for the final secret compartment? Simply lift up the mattress to find a large storage space!
With the finishing touches of the flag and some decorative branches, this dad's DIY pirate boat bed was all ready for his very excited son!
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