This is a copy of the Cardboard Boat Race rules I collected from other people organizing other races in the U.S. and in Canada. Some races are done on lakes! Others are done at indoor pools. There are photos and videos online showing high school and college students and whole communities that put on cardboard boat races. I tested and refine the rules to use at an outdoor swimming pool at a Community College. I also made a video called "How to Organize a Cardboard Boat Race."
The Amazing Cardboard Boat Race
Who: you and your teammates
What: a Cardboard Boat
Race
When: a day and time that suits both you and the pool manager
Where: your local swimming pool
Why: Fun,
Team Building, Exercise, boat building practice, etc.
Details
you need to know about the race before race day
1. We will
race in the smaller pool. The single racers will race first in as many heats as it takes. The doubles will race next. The triples are after the doubles and the four people boats will race last. Racers will
start with their boats at the edge of the pool. The race official will yell: “on your mark, get set, go!” Racers will paddle to
the other side of the pool and the first boat to make it to the other side is the winner. The organizer can award 1st, 2nd and 3rd place or gold, silver and bronze titles. I made Olympic Games style medals by hot gluing chocolate “gold, silver and
bronze” coins on cloth ribbon.
2. Not all
members of the boat building team need to race.
You can be on a team of four boat builders, for example, and decide to
have only two people from the team race the boat. If this is the case, your boat will race as a
two person boat.
In the
weeks before race day
4. Pick
one, two or three people to help you build a boat or build a boat on your own.
5. You will power your boat using oars. (I borrowed about 8 to 10 oars from a mountaineering store.) You can use your
arms to power your boat forward instead of using the oars.
5. Decide
on the shape, design and size of the boat you want to build. Good ideas: build a replica of a Coast Guard cutter, a “Pocahontas” type canoe out of cardboard boxes or a raft out of many flat pieces of cardboard glued together.
6. Collect cardboard from appliance stores, framing stores, moving companies etc.
7. Advice from expert boat builders:
a. Your
boat will be much stronger if you crease and fold the cardboard rather than
cutting the cardboard. Also, make your
boat out of at least two or three layers of cardboard.
b. It is
okay to use glue (like Gorilla Glue, adhesive glue or Liquid Nails) to glue the
cardboard layers together. This gives your boat a kind of waterproofing.
c. To build the pieces of the boat into a finished boat, use Duct tape or paper tape to hold the pieces of cardboard together. It is okay to use a sealant for the edges as
well, but don‘t cover the boat with sealant.
Sealant is only allowed on the edges or seams of your boat. Also, don't cover all the surfaces of your boat with duct tape. This is a waste of many rolls of duct tape. Only use duct tape along the edges of the cardboard pieces.
8. You can give your boat a name and decorate it.
9. There
will be one 1st place finisher and a 2nd and 3rd place winner in each of the 1, 2, 3 and 4 person
boat races. There is also an award for the best overall boat design.
Extra
Information
- You can ask one member of each boat crew to explain their vessel’s name, design, theme, and historical
significance.
- Do not use: wood,
plastic or Styrofoam in your boat.
Also, do not use plastic sheeting, wax coatings, two part glues,
tar based substances, fiberglass resin, nails, staples, screws, bolts, metal or plastic truss plates,
stiffeners or joint plates.
- Also, you won’t be
able to use flippers or motors to power your boat.
- It is very very tempting,
but sinking another boat will get you disqualified. Also, throwing water on another boat will
get you disqualified.
