bronxmom, I had a couple of ideas about books and things, if you do go in the ship direction:

There is a neat website we have played with a certain amount, called "Charting Neptune's Realm: From Classical Mythology to Satellite Imagery", all about nautical charts. There are excellent lesson plans all laid out, with some fun activities, too. It's at www.usm.maine.edu/maps/exhibit8/

Some books my lads have liked, all nautical in nature:

Carry on, Mr. Bowditch (Jean Latham)
Treasure Island (RLS)
Voyage of the Dawn Treader (CS Lewis)
Exploring the Frozen North (Pierre Berton)
All Sail Set: A Romance of the Flying Cloud (Armstrong Sperry)
not yet read, but on deck (so to speak): Coral Island (RM Ballantyne)

And there are lots of kids' adaptations of the Odyssey, surely the greatest sea story of all! Our favourite is Neil Philip's. Oh, and there are kids' versions of Moby Dick, too--we've got Geraldine McCaughrean's.

Maybe you could get a nice book about knots (Lee Valley Tools has some, I think--think they've got other nice nauticalia, too), a hunk of rope, and practise, practise, practise? Maybe something to keep his hands busy will pull him away from the video games more easily.

Anyway, just an idea or two--let us know if we can help!

peace
minnie