Join Us on May 14, 2022 for the Lakeland Cardboard Boat Challenge & Lakeshore Festival
- On-Site Built Registration 8 A.M. – 8:30 A.M.
- Cardboard Boat Building On-site 8:30 A.M. – 10:00 A.M.
- Pre-Built Registration 9:00 A.M. – 9:30 A.M.
- Race Starts at 10:00 am
Purchase Entries Here
This event helps raise awareness about our water resources and how we all must play a role in protecting them. People can reduce their impact on the environment through the lifestyle choices they make every day. Celebrate our lakes and join the fun!
To reinforce the reason behind this event the theme of your cardboard boats need to have a “Lakes” awareness theme. Each team must name their boat with a Lakes awareness theme, and turn in a short bio explaining the name choice to be announced prior to launch. Register your team, create a boat out of cardboard and duct tape, and race to the finish line. Environmental Exhibitors will provide children’s activities, information on ways to protect our lakes, water ways and other environmental fun facts.
THE CHALLENGE:
To build a boat out of cardboard and duct tape, and then put 2 people inside to race around a course, be the first to make it across the finish line without sinking.
THE CATEGORIES:
On-Site Built Groups: Cardboard boats are built on site, the morning of the event, and all supplies are provided.
Race teams will be in the following divisions:
- Community/Corporate: Both paddlers must be 18 years of age or older to paddle the boat.
- Youth: Must be elementary/middle/high school age youth to build or paddle the boat. Both paddlers will need to be under 18 years of age. Teams must have an adult to supervise construction and handling of knives.
- Family Team: Must have at least one child between the ages of five and 18 paddling and an adult supervising the construction and handling of knives. The second paddler is over the age of 18.
Pre-Built Groups: Cardboard boats are built before the event, and teams must provide their own supplies.
Race teams will be in the following divisions:
- Community/Corporate: Both paddlers must be 18 years of age or older to paddle the boat.
- Youth: Must be elementary/middle/high school age youth to build or paddle the boat. Both paddlers will need to be under 18 years of age. Teams must have an adult to supervise construction and handling of knives.
- Family Team: Must have at least one child between the ages of five and 18 paddling and an adult supervising the construction and handling of knives. The second paddler is over the age of 18.
Cardboard Boat Challenge Rules:
The Challenge: To design, construct and race a boat made of cardboard across a body of water.
Objectives: The boat should float, carry lots of weight, go fast and Raise Lake Awareness.
Team Guidelines:
- Minimum of four and maximum of 10 people. Only two members will set sail in the boat.
- Race teams will be in the following divisions, (these apply to both Pre-built and On-site Built Boats):
- Community/Corporate: Must be 18 years of age or older to build and/or paddle the boat.
- Youth: Must be elementary/middle/high school age youth to build or paddle the boat. Teams must have an adult to supervise construction and handling of knives.
- Family Team: Must have at least one child between the ages of five and 18 paddling and an adult supervising the construction and handling of knives.
- Each team must designate a team captain and provide a boat name (with a lakes awareness theme). Team captains will be the only ones allowed to sign the team in the day of the race.
- Teams are encouraged to have a cheering squad of friends, family and associates supporting them at the challenge event. Supporters are encouraged to bring banners and mascots to cheer on the teams.
- Two team members will power your team’s boat. While aboard your boat, each sailor must wear an approved life jacket (provided for you or you may bring your own).
- Your team will be given two oars to propel your boat. Team members cannot place their hands or feet in the water to steer or navigate. This will result in disqualification.
- The committee reserves the right to disqualify teams that are deemed inappropriate for a family event.
- The committee reserves the right to adjust team category as necessary.
- USE YOUR IMAGINATION!
Time:
- Preparation – It is recommended to dedicate time for designing the boat before the day of the race, but you can “wing it” and still make it just fine!
- On-Site Cardboard Boat Building – Approximately 1 ½ hours to build the boat.
- Racing – Approximately 1.5 hours to race the boats in heats of teams. We will end with a “survivors” race. (Depending on the number of teams in each division, multiple heats may be necessary and winner will be determined by best time in overall division.)
- Awards and Cleanup – Thirty minutes for awards and final cleanup. Each team is to place boat and remnants in dumpster.
Overall Judging is based on: Speed – how you place in the race.
Specialty Awards: Design and construction ― be creative and have a blast!
- LE/AD’er in Lakes Awareness – The boat and team that does the best job in promoting Lake Awareness
- Spirit Award – given to the team that shows the most spirit
- Survivor Award – This is the winner of the final Survivors Race (if there are multiple heats the 1st & 2nd place winners will be invited to the final showdown for the Survivors Award.)
- Titanic Award – the team that has the best sinking boat!
- People’s Choice (Pre-built boats only) – Be creative and attract the votes of the crowd.
On-Site Boat Building Rules
- Only those tools and materials we provide may be used, and you cannot exchange supplies with other teams!
- Teams that do not return all construction tools (utility knives, yardsticks, pencils, markers) will be eliminated from the challenge.
Tools and Materials (All tools and materials will be provided to you on race day.):
8 sheets cardboard 2 utility knives
2 yardsticks 2 pencils
1 pack of markers to decorate boat 2 life jackets
3 rolls duct tape 2 oars
* No other tools or equipment may be used during the construction or racing of the boat.
Pre-Built Boat Building Rules
- The boat may be no more than four (4) meters long.
- Participants must procure their own building materials and supplies.
- The boat must be made entirely of corrugated cardboard. This includes the hull, superstructure, seats or any other functional part of the boat. You may add items that are not made from corrugated cardboard for decorative purposes only; provided any such items otherwise comply with these rules and are environmentally friendly.
- You may use only corrugated cardboard for any functional part of the boat. Any thickness is permitted. You may not use any type of cardboard other than corrugated cardboard (e.g., carpet tubes, spools, composite papers, etc.), unless such use is strictly decorative.
- You may use water-soluble single-part glue.
- You may use latex (water based) paints, caulks or sealers.
- Any glue, paints, caulks or sealers used on the boat must be environmentally friendly and dry as of the start of the race.
- The boat must be free of any sharp edges, pointed objects, or any other material that could cause injury, either to the occupants of the boat, or other participants.
- You absolutely may not use any tar based substances, two-part varnishes, two-part epoxies, fiberglass resin, or any other two-part or catalyzed substance, or any corrugated cardboard that is bonded to any material other than more corrugated cardboard.
- All boats must be propelled only by the passengers, using paddles. Paddles will be available at the race, or you may bring your own paddles. All paddles must be hand held and not affixed to the boat in any way. No oar locks or other fixed-fulcrum paddles! No motors of any type!
- The organizers have the right to disqualify, or require modification of, any boat at anytime if the organizers decide, in their sole discretion: (i) that any part of a boat violates the rules set forth above, (ii) any boat or portion thereof otherwise poses a safety risk; (iii) that the boat is composed of any non-environmentally friendly material; or (iv) that any part of the boat is in bad taste or offensive in any manner.
