How a Ship in a Bottle Is Made

Ships come in many shapes and sizes—including ones that fit in bottles.

Jim Goodwin, a retired geologist, started out making model ships sans bottles, but eventually decided to take his ship-making skills a step further by building his first ship in a bottle.

“I started out in December of 1999 when a friend of mine suggested that I try it,” Goodwin tells Popular Mechanics. “So I read two books and I got hooked on the engineering aspect of having the mast collapse, as well as building the vessel so that it would insert into the mouth of the bottle and then [raise] the mast up and [make] sure that it would fit inside the bottle.”

More from the Made Here series:
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#madehere #howitsmade #shipinbottle

How a Ship in a Bottle Is Made

[jh]

He absolutely loves that “I’ve been hitting the bottle since” joke.

[PooFIy]

I used to think the entire thing was built inside the bottle with various long tweezers, thanks for the info. 👍

[johnbarneswood]

Only $150 per piece sounds insanely underpriced for this quality

[kopanhagen]

I like his way of speaking; it's as if he's a philosopher, finding deep meaning in the creation of ships in a bottle.

[comdnoive]

As a kid I had no idea how people made these so I came up with two explanations.
1. They just cut the bottle in half, put the ship inside, and glued the glass together.
2. The ship was collapsible like a pop-up book and was jammed through the opening of the bottle and would unfold once inside.

[scubastevedan]

I'm so happy for this man that he found something that he loves so much that he is willing to do it until his last breath, and he'll probably still have a smile on his face. What a peaceful life.

[vylicer]

" You either have patience or you lose it. " I laughed out more than I should. Hahaha

[abhijithchristopher]

"I'm making plenty of mistakes, so I'm making a lot of appeasements to the Gods" - Woah, that's such a good line! 4:52

[BricklyDragon]

The collapsible sails are insane. So tiny and intricate. I always thought it was assembled using tweezers but the collapsible sail is so smart.

[juliánito]

I've come to realize I enjoy seeing people passionately talk and present about their niche interests.

I've literally just saw this video in my suggested feed some 10 minutes ago but now this man is my inspiration.

[DarknessDaddy]

My comment is a thanks specifically to Jim Goodwin. Ive had a pretty rough day and your attitude and your gusto towards your hobby brought me a big wave of positivity that i really needed. Thank you Jim Goodwin, and all your ships.

[CJordanNicholson]

I would just like to make space to appreciate the production. Both the interview shots and the B-roll looked great.

[Uglier.]

its amazing and a miracle he still has so much dexterity in his hands performing this meticulous craft

[AshleyReinhardt]

Nothing is more thrilling than watching people being very passionate about their hobbies

[jasonhuttermusic]

I've always loved ships in a bottle. This is a nice channel and what internet is best. I need to develop this level of patience.

[Cosmicman]

Finally one of my childhood mysteries unlocked…

[usptact]

Some people empty bottles, some people fill them back in.

[DrummerJacob]

What a cool hobby! I would never do it but its really cool to see someone do something at a high level of detail like that.

[Kalkknecht]

He is so dedicated to his hobby, it is inspiring.

[casard]

Very inspiring. I used to make models and dioramas and there is a certain focus plus knowledge gained from researching then recreating the subject. Ah, my mind and fingers are feeling twitchy. Thanks for the vid😊