How to build your first boat in Tears of the Kingdom

Come sail away

One of the first things you’ll do in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is learn the Ultrahand ability, which lets players manipulate objects and tape them together. As you might imagine: the possibilities are endless! Initially, though, you will want to think small and build a boat, so you can cross a few of the tutorial areas. Here’s how to get that done!

A simple boat involves three logs, a sail, and wind

Early into the tutorial, you’ll come across a large body of water that’s too far to cross manually with your starting stamina meter. It’s time to build a boat!

Hold the L button to queue up the Ultrahand ability (denoted by the red hand icon), and walk over to a set of logs. Manipulate a log so that it’s flat on the ground. Grab another log and attach it like you were building a raft. Attach another log the same way, then attach the sail so that it’s upright (there’s an image above of a boat that will do the trick if you need a reference).

If you mess up building your boat, grab a piece with Ultrahand and “wiggle” the right stick to detach that same piece. Rework the boat to your liking, then grab it and float the collective creation into the water. Jump on and ride the wind over!

Don’t worry about the positioning of the boat: the designers helpfully put barriers on the end of the water, so you’ll make your way across the pond regardless of how perfectly you aim the boat.

Advanced boats can be built with a Zonai device

Following the second tutorial shrine, you’ll also be introduced to Zonai devices.

Think of these as human-created tools, which can be used to craft better and more efficient machines. Putting a Zonai fan on the end of a simple boat will turn it into a speedboat, which propels itself without wind or a sail. Just attach it to the end with Ultrahand, then hit it to trigger it! You can do that while you’re on the boat to ensure that it doesn’t leave without you.