My Niece needs my Help and I need Yours - cardboard Boat

[Call-Tech]

My niece has to build a boat out of cardboard for a competition. The boat has to be built of cardboard and duct tape. The boat can be 7' x 4' and must carry two students across swimming pool. They must build and use paddles. the students to get the farthest without sinking wins.

Type of cardboard?
Sources for cardboard sheets?

The hull can be no more than 1/2" thick, can not be coated with any waterproofing. only seems can be taped. I do not have details on type of tape, I will post Monday exact material requirements.

I'm thinking near flat bottom with lots of gussets, but i'm not boat builder so we are open to suggestions.

Help please!

Anyone with design ideas and plans. we have 3 weeks to complete and cutting out parts with powertools is ok... Shopbot is power tool right? I figure many identical gussets would ad lots of strength, make a template with bot and cut them out with razor knife, or will shopbot cut cardboard well, never tried?

I would love to help her win, students are coming over to my shop to build boat.

[donclifton]

Use corroplas, its a plastic cardboard and duct tape sticks to it really well. They also make it in .50 thickness. They also make a polycarb in the same thing just very costly.
good luck
Donald Clifton

[gerryv]

Re: Coroplast: Being plastic rather than paper based, I think the kids would suffer from being disqualified for cheating.

[Call-Tech]

Wish we could, but corroplas is not allowed, must be cardboard.

[knight_toolworks]

milk cartons.

[sailfl]

Do a google search on cardboard boats. You will find help there.

[myxpykalix]

This is instructions for building with plywood but you could use some of the same building techniques maybe?
http://www.instructables.com/id/Building_a_Little_Row_Boat/

while there do a search for boat building maybe there are other plans.

[gene]

Fred ,
Go to your local furniture store and they will have big sheets of cardboard or refrigerator boxes. Fewer joints, fewer leaks, also duct tape the joints inside and out , this cardboard will cut on the bot, i have used it for stencils with good results. you can cut , stack and tape several pieces for the gussetts . Post Photos , sounds like alot of fun

[pfulghum]

another source of cardboard is the lumber yard. My plywood/melamine/hardboard supplier sells the top sheets (4x8x1/4") carboard for $1.

-- pat

[cabnet636]

here is somthing i found a while back

http://www.gcbr.com/port.html

[Call-Tech]

As I get more info.. I am still awaiting a copy of the actual rules.. I am finding out that this competition is going to be much harder than most.

I have looked over many websites about cardboard boats, most of them are allowed to use paint to waterproof boats, some are allowed 3 sq ft of wood per person and most allow glue to be used. Most also allow the use of any premade paddle.

Unless I have been misled by the students, none of these things are going to be allowed. just corrugated cardboard and duct tape, I assume this is because instead of going 1/2 mile or more like many of the competitions, this boat must only make it across high school swimming pool.

[cabnet636]

preseal all edges with duct tape like panels then use duct tape for assembly, its water rushing in the corragate that does it in some silicone the ends

jim,

[harryball]

I saw a competition like this once. They say and MEAN cardboard and duct tape... that's it folks.

The winning design was a single sheet of cardboard that had been sort of origami folded into a boat so there were no joints, just folds. It wasn't complicated. Additional cardboard was used inside in panels to add strength, they'd even added seats. The ENTIRE outer surface was covered with duct tape... a job Red Green would be proud of.

/RB

[joewino]

A lot of folks will probably be really upset with my comments here, but as a former teacher I have this opinion:

Isn't the project supposed to be done by the students?

[bcammack]

I made the assumption that, if the children were coming to his shop to build it, then they were not likely to be coming to spectate.

I don't think there is anything wrong with guiding and mentoring, nor operating power tools that would dangerous to a child.

Seems like if you gathered the knowledge and passed it along as they worked, then you're doing something quite a bit different than drafting plans, laying them out on the cardboard, cutting and assembling the object.

I'd take it as an opportunity to help develop my child's capacity to think logically and creatively.

[cabnet636]

recently, my daughter had to do the energy car type project and i would not help unless she was a part of the work, she researched various wind and rubber band cars, (you would not believe how much work it takes to propel a rubber band car 10') she drew the car and programmed it in vcarve pro, i ran the cnc and we had an awful lot of fun!! bravo for the teachers,

jim

give your scrap and off fall to a high school shop class!!!

[Call-Tech]

I did not mean to imply that I was going to build this for them. Quite the contrary, all work will be performed by the students. Including any software layout and cutting of all pieces. If bot is used, then I will actually run their toolpaths, but that will be the extent of it. I am offering my shop tools, space to build boat and guidance on use of tools.

It is fair for design ideas to come from any source and I was looking for ideas for designs from one of the most diverse groups of intelligent people I know, I do not believe this is any different than all the students that are currently searching on google or looking in a library. I had seen that there were several boat builders here on the forum and thought they might be able to offer some insight on designs. However after getting more information on this, I see that it is more of a physics problem and does not have much to do with boats.

I now have the rules for this event. There were sent to me as .jpgs and are too big to post in message. If I shrink them down they will not be readable so I will just link to them below.

Basically, only brown untreated corrugated cardboard in 1/4" or 1/2" and duct tape or packing tape. Max thickness of cardboard is 1" but only 2 layers thick. 4 layers can not be used to get to 1". Paddles will be provided. No glue, No waterproofing, no covering entire surface with tape, only seams can be taped. max length of boat 7', width must fit through doorway. No raft or surfboards. only 2 seats in boat which can incorporate a crossbar support per seat and only one cross bar at front of boat. Seat can be made of a cardboard box or made from brown cardboard.

boat can be propelled by paddle supplied or by constructing a paddle wheel or sail or all 3. Sail? no wind inside enclosed pool?? How to make paddle wheel and drive it with cardboard and tape? I think most are going to use supplied paddles. Arms may not be used. no part of body may contact water.

Themes.. coordinating clothes, hats and boat decorations. decorations must be made of cardboard and affixed to boat with tape. Magic markers can also be used. Full rules can be viewed in links below.

Thanks Again, Fred

also here is a youtube video one of the students found, these students were given cargoard, tape and 20 minutes to build boat. Its amazing how well they float.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j0DkETzq5g

http://www.call-techsigns.com/images/Display/Boat%20Project.jpg
http://www.call-techsigns.com/images/Display/Boat%20Project%202.jpg
http://www.call-techsigns.com/images/Display/Boat%20Project%203.jpg

[Call-Tech]

Ok, we have come up with solutions for cardboard.

Brand of Duct Tape is still up for grabs. I'm familiar with Gorilla Brand because of their glue, but don't really know if their duct tape sticks to cardboard as good as their glue.

Also still looking for simple designs for boat made from 2 layers of 1/4" brown cardboard.