Brilliant Toy Boat Playsets For Kids

I feel a bit unkind including this on my list, as it is not a current toy, so it is really tricky to find in stores.

The boat was from the 2009 Imaginext range.

The ship is constructed from brightly colored purple and gold durable plactics, and comes with two pirate figures, each with a mask and body-armor, a sword, and a staff. The pirates have arms that can rotate and hands that can grasp the various weapons.

The set also includes a special detachable cannon and a treasure chest to caprture.

As with other Imaginext toys, there are a number of hot spots that help the toy to come alive.

Fit one of the pirate figures on any one of the three platforms with footprints, and turn them left and right to control activate cannons, pop open the mast, or open the gills at the rear of the ship to reveal a removable treasure chest and coins.

When you push the ship along the floor, the orange tentacles on both sides of the ship move up and down in a paddling motion.

Please note that this is not suitable for play in water, as it is heavy and will sink quickly.

When first released, this toy was priced at around $40.

To avoid paying over the odds for this, take a look at the eBay listings for current live auctions.

I had to inlcude this on the list as it is my 6-year-old son's favorite toy boat ever.

We love Imaginext toys as they are so sturdy and can withstand all of the energetic games my boys come up with. And this boat has been no exception.

We have had it for 18 months now and although we are missing a couple of small pieces (which are probably lurking under the sofa somewhere), the boat is in excellent condition.

It comes with two small plastic planes that you can fly from the launch deck, and a couple of action figures too.

The radar in the tower doubles up as a missile launcher, firing round discs out to sea.

There are also two projectiles that can be fired from the front of the boat.

The launch deck swings out to the side to be used as a runway, and there is room to storethe accessories below deck.

And the best thing of all - no batteries required!

You should expect to pay $40-$50 for this, and it is still available in most big toy stores.

The Matchbox Mega Rig range is a collection of vehicles with interchangeable parts so you can switch bits about and creat your own customer vehicles. We have the Toy Story 3 train and a trash truck so my boys have made some pretty odd looking combinations.

This ship belongs to a marine biologist scouting the deepest depths of ancient seas to find undiscovered creatures.

The set inclues the boat, paleo-sub, diving cage, harpoon gun, diver, boat captain, oversized oyster, and huge shark.

There are wheels on the underside of the boat to make it easy to push around the floor, and according to the product description and some customer reviews, in floats in water too.

Expect to pay around $40.