In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, sailing is one of the many means of transport. With many rivers and streams to cross to get to shrines and important locations, knowing what to use to build a log boat and how to sail one is an essential craft to learn in the game.
You’ll need to learn it from the offset, as you’ll use it throughout the game, from start to finish. In this post, I’ll detail everything needed to build and sail a log boat in TOTK. I’ll also give some important tips to remember before, while, and after building one.
How to Build a Log Boat in TOTK
To build a log boat in Tears of the Kingdom, you need specific tools and many trees, which there are plenty of in the sky and on the surface. Most important: always remember to factor in when building, the laws of physics do apply unless there’s some enchantment defining the fundamental laws.
Tools, Objects & Abilities Required to Build a Log Boat in Tears of The Kingdom
The tools and ability required to build, move, and attach objects will be obtained as you progress in the game. They are as follows:
Tools & Objects
- Axe (Wooden or Stone Axe),
- Sail/Zonai Fan Device, and
- Trees/Logs.
Ability
- Ultrahand.
Using An Axe For Chopping Trees in Tears of the Kingdom
You can use any type of axe, a stone or a wooden axe, to chop down trees into logs and bundles of wood. The thick trees with thick stumps are the only tree able to float and keep Link’s weight while sailing. Deploy your axe by pressing Y and swing three times by pressing Y again before the tree falls and lays on the ground in the form of a log.
Do this to three trees, and you can proceed to the next step. Two logs work, but it’s a scary boat ride with only two logs. Keep it safe and steady with three logs or more.
Using the Ultrahand Ability to Grab, Move & Attach Objects in TOTK
Once you’ve chopped down your three trees, you’ll have to use Link’s Ultrahand ability to pick up and move the objects around and attach them. To select Ultrahand, press and hold L on the controller, and the wheel selector with all your abilities will appear.
Use the right analog stick to select Ultrahand, turning everything nearby red. You’ll see a little arrow pointer when choosing from your abilities.
Top Tip: before moving any further, always remember to do all your building on dry land rather than in the water.
Back to the building, hover over a log, and grab it by pressing A. You can move around with the log easily. Moving the left analog stick forward and back, or left and right, will move Link and the object in control in any direction.
Moving the right analog stick will move the object alone, and moving the whole control around will also move the object. Hold the R button to rotate, flip, or turn the object around.
Related: How to Make a Log Bridge in Tears of the Kingdom
Move the log to the second log and attach them by pressing A. Once attached, repeat the previous steps and attach the third log to the other two joint logs. That should complete the first phase of the building.
The next phase is getting the boat to move on the water. There are two ways to move forward, and I’ll explain both ways.
Attaching a Sail to a Log Boat
The sail will be lying around close to the shore. Once you’ve found one, press L to use Utrahand again and attach it to the front end of your ship by pressing A. It is important to remember to face the sail with the wind and not against it.
Utilizing a Zonai Fan on a Log Boat in TOTK
The first step is looking for a fan lying on the shoreside or taking one out of your inventory. To do the latter, press the plus button and then L or R until you find “Zonai Devices” in your inventory. A fan will be one of the options. Or, hold the up button on the D-pad to open the quick menu for items, search for the fan, and drop it by pressing X.
Throw the fan out by pressing X, and you’ll return to the game with a fan on the ground. Use Ultrahand and grab the fan with A and then attach it to the boat by pressing A again. Remember to face the fan, or all fans, if you’re using more than one, in the right and same direction, or you could sail backward or go nowhere at all.
Top Tips To Remember When Making a Log Boat in TOTK
- Don’t build a boat to sail where there are large Lily Pads in the water. Instead, swim rather, as you’ll be able to regain stamina and energy to get from Lily Pad to Lily Pad until you reach the other side of the water gap,
- When a stream forces your log boat to drift while sailing, place your boat at the top end of the stream and avoid drifting into the barrier,
- Don’t place your log boat beneath the water and release Ultrahand. It will sometimes cause your boat to capsize, and you’ll need to use Ultrahand again and rotate your manufactured log boat,
- Look around for already cut logs and save your axe for more important things, such as battles. An Axe with a fused attachment can be a potent weapon during fights. Every swing taken at a tree stump wears your axe away, and it eventually depletes,
- Only use the fans for short crossings, as you could run out of energy halfway across the river and be stuck there with no energy cells left, which could cause you to drift in the wrong direction or into a barrier. It also exhausts all your resources if you use energy cells all the time to power your Zonai Devices. Use less of them and save them for a rainy day when needed.
Now you can set sails across any water channel, no matter how far or wide. If you’re looking to improve your weapons in the game, you should read: How to Use Chuchu Jelly in Tears of the Kingdom.
