School of Engineering and Computer Science

Annual Cardboard Regatta Competition

The Dean Seminar's (Engr 10) Annual Cardboard Vessel Regatta took place on October 10, 2008, at the University of the Pacific swimming pool. This event attracted more than twenty-five boats, about a hundred student participants and a great crowd. 

The winning teams received Barnes and Noble gift certificates for their hard work and success at cardboard boat building.  

It was a fun-filled occasion for all present made more challenging by the extremely windy conditions. The engineering students were joined by a vast number of faculty, friends and family.  Laughter, rooting and cheers erupted from participants and spectators alike, which added a refreshing twist on classroom education. 

The goal of the event was to have first year engineering & computer science students construct boats out of only cardboard and duct tape. The vessels had to weigh less than eighteen pounds and keep afloat while carrying two teammates.  An obstacle course consisting of two figure-eights had to be completed in the pool. It was entertaining to see which boats floated and which sank into the watery depths.

The students had a little more than a week and a half to build and prepare their boats. Along with the actual construction, students calculated buoyancy of their boats with respect to water displacement and its volume. Along with this, students were required to write a formal report describing the process and outcome of their project.