Whatever floats your cardboard boat

Holy Family School is hosting their first annual Cardboard Boat Regatta. The challenge is for amateur boat builders to design and construct a boat out of corrugated cardboard and attempt to float it on Patoka River.

The think-tank behind this soggy idea is the marketing committee at Holy Family School. Kerri Mehringer, a volunteer with the marketing committee, got the idea from an annual regatta held by Southern Illinois University when he was a grad student. SIU is purported to be the origin of this wacky water parade when one was held there in the 1970’s to inspire 3D Design students to think outside the box—no pun intended.

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The event is schedule to take place on August 13, 2011 at the Patoka River Park in Jasper. The race is made up of a mixed group of corporate sponsored boats and private crew boats.

Although many crews are building their own boats, some have taken Mehringer and his boat building crew up on their offer to build boats for them. These sponsors would then supply the crews for the big day.

Mehringer is building the boats in a friend’s barn in Bretzville. “I think next year we will go to DAP for sponsorship.” He said marveling at the 500 plus tubes of Liquid Nail™ his crew has used in building the boats.

The unique boat designs coming from those brave souls that have chosen to strike out on their own are what truly make the regatta a lot of fun. One such designer is Dale Gress from Kitchen Jewels. He has a laid back approach to his boat design. “We didn’t use one of those fancy CAD programs to design our boat, we just slapped the cardboard down and started cutting out a basic hull design.”

Gress’s choice adhesive. Duct tape of course. “We’re just having fun with this, it’s all about having fun.”

There are general guidelines to follow for constructing the boats. The list of materials is surprisingly simple; cardboard, glue, paint, and tape. Paddles and decorative additions may be made of any other materials.

The event is simply a race to the finish, but seeing who crosses that line first is not where the fun is at, it’s the journey. The fun begins immediately as the boats are placed in the water and it becomes apparent who has truly waterproofed and who may be leaking a bit.

Fortunately for those who sink or don’t quite make it, other awards are to be had along the way. Categories like; Artistic Masterpiece, Spirit, Engineering Spectacular, Best Dressed Crew, and don’t forget The Most Spectacular Sinker, will keep spirits high.

If you don’t want in on the water action but would like to be part of the activities, Kerri says they can always use help with the boat construction. Plus they are still looking for volunteers to assist the day of the race with concessions and other organizing activities.

The point behind the race is to raise money and bring the community together. Mehringer stated that half of the proceeds raised will be donated to St. Jude Hospital and the other half will be used to pay for the event and to purchase science equipment and materials for the students at Holy Family School.

There is still room for anyone to join the race, but they can register their team right up to race day. Pre-registration is only $25.00 per team. Register on race day and the fee jumps up to $35.00. The event details and applications can be found at http://www.facebook.com/cardboardregatta.

“We still have spots available for any organization to come out, put up a booth, and sell some food to raise money.” Mehringer said.