Date: May 2022

Role: Designer, Team Member

My team was tasked with designing and constructing a boat out of a limited amount of cardboard, trash bags, and tape. The boat had to float exactly 20 cm above the waterline, and be strong, stable, and aerodynamic so that it could compete in a boat racing tournament against other boats. I took the responsibility of designing the boat so that it could fulfill these tasks. To make the boat extra strong and capable of supporting 2 people, I created a grid like base of thin, vertical cardboard strips. While our boat was not necessarily the most aerodynamic, its strength and stability allowed it to withstand 5 races across the pool to win the boat racing tournament. Through this project I was able to learn how important design was as I opted to focus on designing a boat that favored stability and strength over aerodynamics which allowed us to win the tournament over boats that were more aerodynamic but weren't strong enough to stay afloat.