CARDBOARD BOAT REGATTA

A cardboard boat race, sometimes known as a boat regatta, is a common school-spirit competition for students of high school and college age. The earliest documented cardboard boat regatta was the result of a design problem created by Davis Pratt at Southern Illinois University in 1962. A typical competition format allows competitors a fixed build time, using only a predetermined number of corrugated fiberboard sheets, glue, packaging tape, and paint. Duct tape is also often a key ingredient........but it doesn't work as well. Once completed, teams must race their boats across a shallow pond, river, or swimming pool using similarly constructed oars. The boats will almost always flood, sink, or shred under the weight, mostly owing to the difficulties of waterproofing cardboard. Awards are often given out for effort and spirit, instead of victory