Want to have the most fun ever? Try a cardboard boat race!
Chris Hogan, 1st June 2017, Boat
Cardboard boats? Yes, the challenge is to make a boat out of cardboard, enter it into a race and win - although for many people simply not sinking will count as a win.
You might think that a cardboard boat would sink very quickly, but making them float for a whole race is a great engineering challenge.
In the beginning
Like most whacky sports ideas, cardboard boat races originated in the USA, with the first one being held in 1962 at the Southern Illinois University as a design challenge for engineering students. The rules required corrugated cardboard to be the "basic structural material" although it could be supplemented with other materials.
The idea spread quickly through the USA and Canada and now there are many annual races, even one in the North Atlantic, held at Champney's West in Newfoundland every August. The rules for this race say that only cardboard, paint and duct tape can be used.
Staying afloat?
As corrugated cardboard is very light it doesn't have to displace much water, so will float readily - until it gets soaked. The surface can hold water at bay for a long time but once it gets between the two layers, usually at the edges and joints, you're living on borrowed time!
Cardboard boat races differ on the allowed materials, so take a good look at the rules and make your raft as resilient as possible.
Fancy having a go?
Most races have many different award categories, from serious speed trials to best fancy dress. Here are the ones we could find at the time of writing.
Cambridge: there's a regular informal race on the Sunday after exams (usually mid-June, so be quick). You have to be a student to enter but it's usually a good spectacle.
Plymouth: on July 2nd the Water Festival will include the first Bideford Cardboard Boat Regatta, run by the Rotary Club of Bideford and open to all.
Isle of Wight:Cowes week, to be held from 29th July to 5th August 2017, includes a cardboard boat race - keep an eye on the organisers' Facebook page for upcoming details.
Plymouth: in September the Institute of Mechanical Engineering runs a cardboard race on the Barbican for students. It would be good to watch, to see what the students come up with!
More cardboard boat races will be announced around the UK as the summer develops so keep an eye on local sailing clubs and festivals - it looks like great fun!
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