By Sharron Luttrell
Plan to compete in the Taft Public Library Cardboard Boat Race July 13? Here are a few pro tips: Get ahold of a few large-appliance boxes if you can – they work best; fold cardboard pieces into triangles to reinforce your structure; and, if money is no object, use Gorilla brand duct tape to hold it all together.
That said, there’s only one thing that’s going to keep your boat afloat during the race: Paddle like you’re being chased by a school of piranhas.
“It’s speed that’s going to get you over the finish line,” Taft Library Trustee and cardboard boat afficionado James Thach said during a talk at the library last week. “No matter what kind of cardboard boat you use, it’s going to soak up water. It’s the nature of the beast.”
This was Thach’s second year offering the cardboard boat design class, a role for which he’s uniquely qualified. His past race entries have done well, and with 27 years in the Coast Guard, Thach knows his boats.
The boat race at Mendon Town Beach on Taft Avenue has been a local tradition since 2000, with prizes awarded in categories including teamwork, creativity, perseverance, most surprising (that thing floats?), and crowd favorite, the Titanic, awarded for most spectacular sinking.
There are rules, the most obvious being that the entire structure must be made of cardboard, preferably corrugated, not waxed and definitely not those tubes you use for pouring concrete columns (most rules were written to correct a past wrong; not pointing fingers). Paint is OK, but not on the bottom of the boat where it could slow the inevitable seepage.
Duct tape is allowed, but try to keep it to the joints and seams. Again, not pointing fingers but a certain team showed up a few years ago with their boat wrapped entirely in duct tape. You know who you are.
Participants must wear a Coast Guard-approved life vest. No motors allowed, and other than the initial push into the lake, no outside assistance is permitted. Also, in case any sailors have it in mind to slow down the competition, you may not ram other boats or bring a harpoon aboard (again, happened in the past, now in the rule book).
There are other rules – register for the boat race for the complete list – but this one bears highlighting: At the end of the race, either bring your boat home with you or throw it in the conveniently placed dumpster. Most people do the latter.
“No matter what you do, your boat is likely going to get trashed,” Thach said.
But coming out of the water with a pristine boat isn’t the point of the event, Thach said. The cardboard boat race is an opportunity for the community to come together for an evening of fun, to show — and appreciate — creativity and good sportsmanship, a summer tradition where everyone wins — even if it’s the Titanic award.
The race is Monday, July 13 at Town Beach. Check-in begins at 5:30 p.m., and the race is at 6:30 p.m. Rain date is July 14.
Photo top of page: Taft Public Library Trustee James Thach demonstrates his technique for folding cardboard into reinforcing triangles during a cardboard boat design session last week. (Sharron Luttrell)
