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.
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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.
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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
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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)