THE FIXES™
Everything here is free. Use it first. If it helps, fix it forward.
The Fixes / How to Draw / Sailboat
All year · Grades 4–6 · 12 steps

How to Draw a Sailboat

Sailboat Harbor from The Drawing Fix™. An easy step-by-step drawing for Grades 4–6. Draw it with your class in about 15 minutes, one step at a time. Free to use and print. No sign-up.

By Christopher Allen · Ontario elementary educator12 stepsAbout 15 minutesUpdated Nov 5, 2026
Run it on the projector →Printable step sheet (PDF)

This one asks for a little more patience: overlapping shapes, pattern and detail. It is a calm, focused few minutes, and the finished drawing looks like real art.

Before you start: a pencil, an eraser, a sheet of paper and something to colour with.

Draw lightly at first. Dark lines come at the end, once the shapes look right.

Step-by-step: how to draw a sailboat

  1. Step 1. Hull

    Draw the curved boat hull.

  2. Step 2. Mast

    Draw the tall mast.

  3. Step 3. Big sail

    Add the big triangle sail.

  4. Step 4. Front sail

    Add the smaller front sail.

  5. Step 5. Flag

    Add a flag on the top.

  6. Step 6. Portholes

    Draw three round portholes.

  7. Step 7. Hull stripe

    Add one curved stripe.

  8. Step 8. Waves

    Draw two rows of waves.

  9. Step 9. Sun

    Add the sun with rays.

  10. Step 10. Gulls

    Add three gulls.

  11. Step 11. Buoy

    Draw a buoy in the water.

  12. Step 12. Create

    Make one part completely yours.

The pink line is the new part in each step.

Make it theirs

  • Add a background that tells a story. Where is it?
  • Give it a name and write it underneath.
  • Try it again tomorrow from memory.
  • Colour last. There is no wrong colour for a sailboat.

Teaching it with the projector

The projector version draws each step slowly on the board, pauses while students copy it, then checks in before the next step. Nobody has to talk, so you are free to walk around and help.

Quick Fix: 9 steps, about 10 minutes. Good for a brain break or the last few minutes before recess. Full Focus: all 12 steps, about 15 minutes, with the extra detail.

Open Sailboat Harbor on the projector → It works on any classroom screen. No accounts, no student names, no ads.

Curriculum connections

Visual arts: the elements of design (line, shape, pattern and texture) and creating art for a purpose. Language: listening to and following multi-step directions. Directed drawing also builds fine motor control and focus.

More drawings like this

Finished lighthouse drawingHow to Draw a LighthouseGrades 4–6 · 14 stepsFinished cabin in the mountains drawingHow to Draw a Cabin in the MountainsGrades 4–6 · 14 stepsFinished sea turtle drawingHow to Draw a Sea TurtleGrades 4–6 · 14 stepsFinished crooked house drawingHow to Draw a Crooked HouseGrades 4–6 · 14 stepsFinished train drawingHow to Draw a TrainGrades 4–6 · 14 stepsFinished chameleon drawingHow to Draw a ChameleonGrades 4–6 · 14 steps

See all 70 step-by-step drawings →