- Build a Boat for Treasure UFO lets you fly, drive, and abduct players with a tractor beam.
- Core tools: Binding Tool, Property Tool, and Scale Tool for full flight capability.
- Balloon count matters: two stacked large balloons (up/down) plus four scaled 1.28-height side balloons.
- Three-switch layout: piston beam, ascend, and descend controls bound separately.
- Mobile friendly: no complicated wiring, just switches, seats, and balloons.
UFO Build Overview: What You Need
The Build a Boat for Treasure UFO is one of the most fun advanced builds you can make in the game. It drives like a boat, hovers with balloons, flies to any height, and features a working tractor beam that lifts other players into your cockpit. Best of all, the design is deliberately mobile friendly — no precise clicking or complex circuits are required.
Video Highlights:
- Full walkthrough of a mobile-friendly UFO with a working abduction beam
- Shows the exact balloon sizes (1.28 height) needed for stable flight
- Demonstrates the three-switch control system for flying up and down
- Includes a UFO race test at the end
The build splits into two tiers of complexity:
| Build Tier | Tools Required | Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| Basic UFO | Binding Tool, Property Tool | Drive, tractor beam, pick up players |
| Flying UFO | Above + Scale Tool | Unlimited altitude flight, hover anywhere |
If you do not own the Scale Tool, you can still build the functional UFO body with beam and driving. You only need Scale Tool for the balloon flight system — skip the top balloon section and go straight to binding.
Parts and Materials List
Gather everything before you start so you are not hopping through menus mid-build.
| Material | Purpose | Quantity Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Titanium blocks | Main saucer frame and base | Roughly 20+ blocks |
| Glass | Cockpit dome ring and beam tube | 2 rings + 4 blocks |
| Plastic | Beam platform and support layer | Several blocks |
| Car Seat | Pilot seat (driving) | 1 |
| Seat | Tractor-beam pickup seat | 1 |
| Piston | Beam raise/lower mechanism | 1 |
| Balloons | Flight system | 2 large + 4 scaled |
| Switches | Controls | 3 |
| Boat Motor | Forward thrust | 1 |
Binding Tool
- Links balloons to switches
- Binds motor and piston Required for any working UFO
Property Tool
- Set collision on/off Adjust transparency for hidden parts
Scale Tool
- Resize balloons precisely Target 1.28 height for side balloons
Set merge to red on the four frame blocks under the dome before placing them — you will delete these later to make room for the piston, and red merge makes them easy to identify and repaint.
Step-by-Step Construction
Follow these steps in order. Each stage builds on the previous one, so double-check dimensions before moving on.
Build the Saucer Base
Build a 10-block vertical column, then construct a doughnut-shaped titanium ring roughly 8 studs wide on top. Fill the center and add a low wall around the rim.
Add the Glass Dome and Seat
Place a glass ring one stud up and one stud right from the corners, top and bottom. Place the car seat in the center of the dome, slightly recessed.
Install the Tractor Beam
Delete the four red-merge blocks, insert a piston facing down in the center, and extend it. Attach a seat at the bottom, surround it with four glass blocks, and add plastic plus titanium bracing below.
Attach the Flight Platform (Scale Tool)
Build a 20-block tower above the UFO, then a cross-shaped platform 4 blocks on each side. Stack two merged balloons at each corner, add a side balloon, then scale each side balloon to 1.28 height.
Wire the Switches
Place three switches and the boat motor at the rear. Bind the two stacked corner balloons to the right switch, the 1.28 side balloons to the left switch, and the piston to the back switch. Unbind anything accidentally attached to the chair.
Final Cleanup
Select all and turn collision off, then re-enable collision on the beam end pieces and (optionally) the hull. Set transparency to 100 on the balloon supports, save, unanchor, and take off.
Before binding balloons, make sure nothing is bound to the car seat itself. Select each component and press the seat — if no bind prompt appears, you are clear. Stray piston bindings will break the beam controls.
Controls and Troubleshooting
Once airborne, the UFO is controlled entirely through switches and the pilot seat.
| Control | Action |
|---|---|
| Pilot seat (drive) | Move forward, steer like a boat |
| Back switch | Extend/retract the tractor beam |
| Left front switch | Side balloons — descend |
| Right front switch | Stacked balloons — ascend |
If the UFO will not move, re-check that the boat motor is bound to the seat. If the beam misbehaves, unbind everything from the piston except the back switch. Balloon heights may need small tweaks depending on your character's size.
Troubleshooting at a glance:
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| UFO will not drive | Motor not bound to seat | Rebind motor to seat |
| Beam stays stuck | Extra bindings on piston | Unbind all but back switch |
| Uneven flight | Balloon size mismatch | Re-scale to 1.28 height |
| Clipping on landing | Collision left off on pads | Enable collision on end pieces |
Flight Test Checklist
Run through this list before your first real voyage. A complete check takes under a minute and prevents most mid-air failures.
Pre-Flight Checklist:
- All balloons bound to correct switches
- Piston bound only to the back switch
- Boat motor bound to the pilot seat
- Collision enabled on beam end pads
- Transparency set on support structure
- Build saved and unanchored
With the checklist complete, press the right front switch to ascend, use the back switch to scoop up a friend with the beam, and fly to the stage end — or into the void — at your leisure.
FAQ
Q: Can I build the UFO without the Scale Tool?
Yes. You can build the full UFO body with driving and a working tractor beam using only the Binding Tool and Property Tool. However, true flight with unlimited altitude requires the Scale Tool to size the balloons correctly.
Q: Why do my balloons need to be 1.28 high?
The 1.28 height provides balanced lift for stable ascent and descent. Depending on your character's size, you may need to tweak the values slightly up or down for even flight.
Q: How does the tractor beam pick up other players?
A piston extends a seat downward below the UFO. Another player sits on that seat, then you retract the piston with the back switch to pull them up safely inside the cockpit with you.
Q: My UFO deleted a switch mid-flight. What happened?
Stage hazards and collisions can knock off unsecured parts. Keep switches near the center rear away from the rim, and re-save your build frequently so you can restore it if a section is destroyed.