Cardboard Boat Guidelines
I’m very excited to announce the 4rd annual cardboard boat contest! Please make sure you follow the
rules set out below. Let’s make this a fun and fair competition.
Goal
1. Accurately predict the waterline of your boat.
2. Create a cardboard boat capable of crossing the swimming pool.
3. Paddle across the pool as many times as possible in 10 minutes.
Building the Boat
Materials:
1. Only cardboard and tape may be used to construct the boat.
2. Only corrugated cardboard will be allowed. The maximum allowable thickness of corrugated
cardboard is 1 cm.
3. You may NOT use any other objects to contribute to the structural rigidity or the craft's
flotation ability.
4. You may only use the type of tape that is provided.
5. You are not allowed to buy new cardboard.
Journal:
1. You must keep a journal that displays all your progress.
2. There should be an entry whenever you work on your boat.
3. Each entry must include at least three things:
a. A summary of what your group worked on.
b. What went well and what needs to be changed for next time.
c. At least 1 picture or video showing your groups progress.
4. There must be at least six entries.
5. Create a GoogleDoc to record all your information.
6. Label it “Team Name – Your Name – Cardboard Boat Journal” and then share it with me.
Design Parameters:
Boats will be subject to a technical inspection the day of the race and must follow these guidelines.
Any boat not following these guidelines will be disqualified.
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Boats must be made from corrugated cardboard. The entire hull and superstructure must also
be made from corrugated cardboard. The maximum thickness of cardboard allowed is four
thicknesses. The maximum single thickness of cardboard you may use is 1 cm. Thus, the
maximum thickness of your four thicknesses of cardboard is 4 cm. You must comply with
the thickness guidelines. You may not use layers of ¼ cm cardboard to meet the 1 cm
maximum requirement. Again, the maximum thickness of one piece of cardboard is 1 cm and
you may use four thicknesses of this cardboard.
No treated cardboard is allowed. Your cardboard must be BROWN! Treated cardboard looks
like it has been waxed. You may not use painted cardboard. Again, your cardboard must be
brown!
Tape may only be used for its adhesive properties. You may not use tape as if it were twine.
The sides of the boat must be at least 30 cm tall
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Your boat must be able to fit through the doorway.
The boat cannot be just one rectangle. It must contain other shapes or multiple copies of the
same shape.
The entire hull may be taped, but not the entire boat. As for the rest, only the seams and
joints may be taped. In other words, you may only tape where you put two pieces of
cardboard together. When taping seams, only 5 cm of tape can overlap the seam.
You may not use reinforcing structures between your two layers of cardboard. That violates
the four thickness' rule.
Your four thicknesses of cardboard must physically touch. They may not be separated by air.
Your boat design must provide your buoyancy; buoyancy provided by enclosed air is not
allowed. In other words -- no boxes taped together. This also includes seats – NO SEATS
allowed. You must sit or kneel in the bottom of the boat.
You may only use two crossbars to stabilize your boat. Crossbars may not be thicker than 15
cm on either side.
The boat must weigh less than 10kg.
Swimming on a cardboard surfboard is not allowed. No appendages are allowed in the water.
The passengers of your boat may not be enclosed above the shoulders of the occupants. Both
people must be visible while the boat is in the water.
Boats must be free of sharp edges, objects with pointed edges, or any other menace.
All occupants of a boat must be good swimmers.
All boats will be propelled through the water by a paddle that you create. It must be made
with just cardboard and tape. You are allowed to have a maximum of four paddles
No arms or legs may be in the water to assist with stability or propulsion.
To qualify as a finisher, both teammates must be in the boat at the end of the race.
Include some team spirit. Make up a name and put it in your movie and blueprint. Also, try
and find a way to incorporate some character into your boat. Wear a costume or lightly
decorate your ship. Most of all have fun.
The race will be held on November 19th.
Good Luck!!!