FAQ

If you have a question, please read the frequently asked questions below. If you can‘t find your question or if it is not answered, please contact Boat Float Coordinator Cathi Lehn, (216) 664-2421.

• What are the rules for building a boat?
  • No commercial boats, no motor-propelled boats, and no boats over 20 feet long.
  • All boats must be constructed of materials that have been previously used (that is, no newly purchased material, except duct tape) for anything except for a boat.
  • All materials must be clean and safe for the environment.
  • NO boating materials (new or recycled) may be used to make the boat. No oars, no motors, no real sails.
  • All crew members must wear a U.S. Coast Guard Approved life vest
  • No swimming, pushing, or towing a boat. All boats must be propelled by poles, self-made oars, paddle wheels, sails, etc.
  • All racing crews must "leave behind no trace" of their boats. Boats must either be recycled or carried out. This includes any debris that may result from a boat malfunction.
• What can I make my boat out of?
  • Recyclable materials
  • Any previously used or found non-boating-related materials
  • Cardboard and wood
  • Plastic bottles
  • Metal cans
  • Duct tape, twine, rope
  • Cloth, including burlap bags
• What can’t I use to make my boat?
  • No containers that once contained pollutants or other hazardous waste
  • No potentially dangerous objects (e.g., sharp edges, rusty metal, glass containers)
  • Nothing that was made to use in the water (old boat hulls, boogie/surf boards, borrowed rudders, engines)
  • No brittle or fragile materials (e.g., styrofoam packing peanuts)