DCMM’s Challenge: Float Your Boat!

The Peninsula Pulse and DCMM have partnered to launch the Float Your Boat! newspaper and cardboard boat-building challenge. Submitted.

The Door County Maritime Museum (DCMM) invites you to bring Door County’s maritime history and technology to life – even during this time of quarantine – by building boats for a new online competition. 

The Peninsula Pulse and DCMM have partnered to launch the Float Your Boat! newspaper and cardboard boat-building challenge. Participants are invited to create, float and share their boats online using the hashtag #dcmaritime. Find all the details and guidelines at dcmm.org/exhibits/float-your-boat-challenge.

This new program is a stand-in for the Cardboard Regatta competition that DCMM launched a year ago with Door County middle school students. The Cardboard Regatta teaches students engineering concepts, problem-solving and teamwork. 

Float Your Boat! participants have until May 20 to create, float and submit their creations online. The results will be posted on the Pulse’s and DCMM’s Facebook pages and Instagram on May 22, which is National Maritime Day. 

There are three categories of boats to build:

• Newspaper: Use only newspaper – no tape, glue or other materials – to fold a boatlike shape that will float in a sink.

• Cardboard: Use cardboard and adhesives such paper glue or tape to create a boatlike shape that will float; then test how many pennies it will hold while still floating. 

• Freeform: Use a combination of newspaper, cardboard and adhesives to create a floating vessel. Then add pennies to see how much weight it will hold while still floating. 

Creativity is key here, so use boat types such as schooners, pontoons or amphiboats for inspiration! Hold sea trials in your sink, and take pictures or video of your boats floating, timing the float and adding weights until they sink. All video and photo entries must be posted to Facebook or Instagram with #dcmaritime by May 20. (If you’re younger than 18, please get parents’ permission to post video or photos if you’re in them.)

And try an additional fun activity: Follow your boat down a Door County creek! 

If you have questions, message the Door County Maritime Museum on Facebook or Instagram, or email [email protected].