Make Your Own Cardboard Boat For This Annual Kentucky River Race

What's better than a good ole fashioned boat race? One where you can't use actual boats!

Friends of Rough River Lake have organized a Cardboard boat race for Waterfest 2024. I know they had one last year, and I've seen other places host similar events. They're never anything less than hilarious!

Folks participating use their creativity and ingenuity to craft a boat strictly out of cardboard. Well, you can use glue or duct tape to hold the parts together, you just can't cover the whole thing in plastic or sealant. Here is a tutorial I found for making a cardboard boat. This guy has everything mapped out down to measurements and type of glue to use.

One of the tricks to making a sturdy boat out of cardboard, is layering the cardboard to make it thicker. As the video mentioned, five layers seems to be the sweet spot. He also suggests using latex paint to decorate the cardboard.

And you are definitely going to want to decorate your boat. The boat that finished first won't be the only winner. Prizes will be given to most creative and even most entertaining. Just be careful that you don't add things that will make your boat uneven to tip over or catch the wind and slow you down.

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