The Great Salem Maritime Cardboard Boat Regatta

Established in 1938, Salem Maritime National Historic Site was created to preserve Salem’s rich maritime history. In 2023, we boldly added our exploits to that cherished history with the Great Salem Maritime Cardboard Boat Regatta! Now in its third year, this signature event should be considered a time-honored tradition of Salem’s long maritime story. Salem is known as the home of many great ideas: the American Practical Navigator, the long-distance telephone call, the American novel, The National Guard, the Rumford oven, National Historic Sites, pretty much every boardgame you have ever played.… To that illustrious list we add cardboard boat racing!

On August 9, 2025, join us as we celebrate the Salem Maritime Festival. Starting at 11 AM sharp (the tide waits for no one!), we will kick off a series of racing heats testing the engineering, ingenuity, determination, and artistry of our boat building participants. Launching from Derby Beach, each cardboard boat must hold at least two people, a Captain and their crew, who will paddle their ship out and around a buoy and back to the beach. Cherished prizes will be awarded in a series of competitive categories. This will obviously be a spectacle long remembered and not to be missed.

 

General Rules

· All participants MUST wear a Coast Guard approved Personal Flotation Device (PFD) and appropriate water shoes. No flip flops or similar sandals.

· Participants under the age of 18 must be accompanied in their boat by an adult Captain.

· Boats may only be constructed with corrugated cardboard. Cardboard can be of any thickness, but can not be bonded to any other materials. Pretreated, waxed, or coated cardboard is not permitted.

· Joints and seams can be sealed with duct tape or paper tape. No glues or epoxies may be used. Nails, staples, or any other metal fasteners may not be used in boat construction. The boat may not be “wrapped” or fully covered in plastic, duct tape, or any other materials.

· Any materials such as wood, Styrofoam, metal, plastic, rubber, or anything that might improve flotation or construction are prohibited. No sandbags or similar weighted materials are allowed to provide extra ballast.

· Boats dimensions should be kept roughly within 8 feet in length and 6 feet in width.

· Paddles used to propel the boat do not need to be made of cardboard. We suggest canoe or kayak paddles or oars.

· Decorating of vessels is not only allowed, but encouraged! Boats may be painted with “one-part” paints. Epoxy, fiberglass, tar, glitter, washable paints, or “multi-part” varnishes are not permitted. Paint must be dry before the start of the race.

· Boat construction should not include pointed objects and sharp edges that could cause injury.

· No surfboard or paddleboard style boats are allowed. Crews must be sitting inside the boat during the race.

· The seating compartment of the boat must not be enclosed above shoulder height to allow participants to safely and easily abandon ship in an emergency.

 

Registration for entering a cardboard boat is now open, and will close when all spaces are full.

The Fellowship of the Great Salem Maritime Cardboard Boat Regatta Tickets, Sat, Aug 9, 2025 at 11:00 AM | Eventbrite

Note: Registration is only for participants in the cardboard boat race. No registration or tickets are needed to view the race on August 9th.