I took another reviewer's advice and added a floor to this boat when I built it (we do not use this as a sandbox, just a play ship). I used a good quality birch and painted it with deck paint to match the poles. After I assembled the boat, we placed it over the plywood and traced the plywood, then cut it and screwed it on from the bottom. We placed the boat on a pallet to keep the bottom from rotting on the ground. The entire process from box to boat took about five hours for one person to build, including adding and painting the floor. We have been very happy with the result, and it is sturdy enough for my husband and I both to climb into to play with our son.
My only complaint about this kit is that we were missing some important pieces. Since this was a birthday present, we were under some time pressure to get this completed. I called KidKraft, and they directed me to a page on their website dedicated to ordering missing parts. The parts came just in time, but I would advise anyone buying this as a gift to give yourself an extra two weeks if you can to build it, just in case the kit is missing pieces, since apparently this is a common occurrence.

Ahoy there...THIS IS A GREAT SANDBOX. My granddaughter loves it. It will take you a bit to put it together. Just take your time and READ the directions twice. My only complaint is related to the plastic clips they give you to hold the liner in place. You press them into predrilled holes. After a bit they come out of the holes. You might try some glue in the hole initially. Once they come out, you cannot get them back in without removing the sand. Sand easily gets between the liner and the wooden forms. It would probably help if you used heavy duty staples with the plastic clips. The graphics on the "ship" complete the illusion. To make them more permanent, seal them with a good clear varnish. This sandbox you will leave out in the weather. It's too heavy to move. I have 400 pounds of sand in mine. It is a bit pricey but sometimes you just have to have something cool. Grrrrrrrr

I would like to say this sandbox is so darn cute. My grandson loves it. I do think Kidcraft needs to fix many problems this product has. First of all the cover is a joke! And not a funny one either. The snaps broke right away just like other reviewers mentioned. It doesn't keep any rain out and the sand stayed so wet my grandson couldn't play in it. We finally emptied it and moved it to a sunnier location. We had to buy a tarp to cover it. More expenses and it takes away from the cute style. Why it doesn't come with a cover that keeps cats and rain out? It is way overpriced for what you get. No bottom, just a cheap thin plastic that holds water. We also had messed up parts that required photos, a letter, proof of purchase and the blood type of your children.... no skip the later but they don't take your word that parts are cracked, chipped. Cute but has issues.

I think I owe this a review, as I am about to buy another one, 6 years later. We bought this for our oldest son when he was 3. He loved it. It spent the next 6 years on our roof deck in Boston. Never covered, through six winters, a few of them pretty brutal, with many, many days of 50-60 mph winds. Finally last year, the top shade pulled free on the sides, but still fully attached and would still shade--just looked a little more "piratey". I did have to re-paint it once, and it could have used it again. But even with out that, it has lasted. My kids would crawl along every edge, and it held up. Ultimately we had to tell them to stop standing on the blue rails, because they were going to break--but that was after several years. And with a little reinforcing wood it would have been safe again. This year, we demolished our roof deck to rebuild, and my five-year-old bawled. Didn't matter that I told him we were getting a hot tub instead, he wanted his sandbox. So I think even though my husband was so looking forward to a grown-up looking roof deck, we will be getting another one of these for the five year old, and the one year old who is now just the age to enjoy it. Honestly, because this is so fun, it makes it so that the roof deck is like a giant play pen, where kids can play, and adults can relax. Though hot tub + sandbox may not be an ideal combination :/ It does take a while to build. I seem to remember it being about 2 years. But for 6 years of fun it was unquestionably worth it, and I'm not even sorry to have to build it again--though this time I will put a transparent clear coat over the paint to see if I can't get an extra season before having to re-paint it.

This was a gift for our 4 year old granddaughter and she loves it! It is well made with sturdy wood and had all of the pieces well marked for assembly and even included a package of extra hardware if needed. We added a pink telescope to the flag mast which made it even better! We like that it has a cover to keep the sun off the kids but wish there was a more complete covering of the sand to keep the rain and cats out at night. It holds at least 8 bags of sand, but was fine with half that. Under the sand there is a plastic liner.