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How to Make Cardboard Boats Float on Water

Floating in a cardboard boat is an inexpensive way to have fun on the water. The materials are cheap and readily available and are sometimes given away for free. Some communities have organized racing events for cardboard boats. Building a cardboard boat can be a fun and educational project for children and young adults as they experiment with boat designs and materials to create the fastest and most buoyant boat.

Things You'll Need

Cardboard
Duct Tape
Plastic Garbage Bags
Scissors

Instructions

- 1
  Collect cardboard. Cardboard boxes are available for free at some grocery, appliance or big box stores. Ask the store manager for boxes, as they will often be glad to get rid of them instead of throwing them away. Choose strong pieces of cardboard for your boat. If the cardboard bends easily, then the boat could capsize. It is especially important to choose a large, strong, thick piece of cardboard for the bottom of the boat. Make sure that the bottom of the boat can easily fit all passengers and cargo.
- 2
  Cut along the creases of the cardboard boxes. These pieces will be used for the sides of the boat.
- 3
  Lay down the piece of cardboard that has been designated as the bottom of the boat. Place the pieces for the side of the boat around it. Begin taping the side pieces to the bottom piece with duct tape. It is helpful to duct tape along both the interior and exterior of the boat. Continue adding pieces until the sides are complete. You may need to stack side pieces up so that the sides are as high as your shoulders when you are seated in the boat.
- 4
  Cut open plastic garbage bags. Cut along the seams so that they open into large rectangles.
- 5
  Place the cut-open plastic garbage bags on the outside of the boat. Tape them onto cardboard and each other using duct tape. Continue until the boat is covered with garbage bags.

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