On the next trip to the ship, the father takes all his sons, except the very youngest. The father will need the boys' assistance if he wants to put the small sailboat together. The mother is reluctant to allow her sons to leave the island. Although she always worries that they will not return safely, she finally gives her blessing to the project.

Upon reaching the ship, the father notes how cleverly every piece of the unmade sailboat has been numbered to aid construction. However, the various pieces lie in a dimly lit, tightly confined space in the hull of the ship; even reaching them will be very difficult. Also, the separate pieces are very heavy. Lifting them will be a great challenge. The father and his sons contemplate the problem. Their first solution is to hack away with axes, clearing the debris and timbers from the site to provide more room in which to work. They attempt this but soon tire from the task without having made much progress.

Night is falling fast. They must return to the island as they had promised Elizabeth. When they arrive on shore, they are not happy about having to trudge across the island in order to reach their new home. To their surprise, though, they find that Elizabeth has set up temporary quarters at Tentholm, on the beach where they used to live. Until the sailboat is complete, Elizabeth informs them, they will lodge on the beach, giving them less distance to cover in order to reach home. This greatly pleases everyone.

For the next few days, the father and his oldest sons travel back and forth from the beach to the ship, as they take on the task of building the sailboat. While they work, it seems as if the boat is longing to awaken from a long sleep and wants to spread her wings and fly. However, as the boat nears completion, the father has yet to determine how they are going to get the sailboat out of the wrecked ship and onto the water. There is no way that he can lift the sailboat or even push it. Even if he could, the hull of the ship is still very much in tact, allowing no opening big enough for the sailboat to exit.

Then, having been inspired with a somewhat irrational plan, the father works on a project without telling his sons what he is doing. He fills a large cast-iron mortar with gunpowder and secures a large piece of oak on the top of it. He then wraps it in chains and connects it to the floor and sides of the ship. After telling his sons to get on the raft and prepare to leave, the father lights a match and sets the flame to a long fuse. After this, the father hurries to the raft and quickly sets sail for the beach. As he and the boys are unloading the new materials they have brought back, the sound of a loud explosion comes from the shipwreck. The blast frightens Elizabeth and her sons. However, the father is secretly elated. He does not tell them what he has done. He lets them think there has been an accident on board the wrecked ship. He tells them that he must go investigate and then asks if any of the boys want to go with him. None of them hesitate to jump back on the raft and head out.

To the father's amazement, one side of the wrecked ship has been completely blown out. The small sailboat, however, has not been touched by the explosion. With just a couple more days work, the sailboat will be ready for her maiden voyage.