Features of Cardboard Boat Race Team Building
Product features
- Participants:
- 20 to 200 people |
- Teams:
- 8 to 10 people
- Duration:
- 3 hours |
- Location:
- Outdoors
- Physical effort:
- Moderate |
- Format:
- Team competition
- Staff:
- 2 to 3 instructors depending on group |
- Electricity:
- No
- Set-up/Teardown:
- 1 hour |
- Recommended space:
- Pool or water area plus building zone
- Languages:
- Spanish, English or Catalan |
- Coverage:
- All of Spain
- Branding:
- Name and colours for each boat; tailored warm-up challenges
- Materials included:
- Cardboard, duct tape, plastic sheet, drums, board, paddle, cutter, scissors and life jackets
- Client provides:
- Access to a pool, lake or safe water area
- Skills developed:
- Hands-on engineering, planning and working with limited resources
- Other features:
- Teams can win their boat parts in warm-up games (sack race, tug of war, rope maze...). Large groups play in two rounds. Water for all attendees included.
What the Cardboard Boat Regatta is
One of the most iconic team building formats: each team designs and builds its own boat out of cardboard and tape, then puts it to the test in a real race.
The mix of improvised engineering and competition on the water makes it a classic nobody forgets, and one of the most shared on social media.
How the Cardboard Boat Regatta works
Here's how Cardboard Boat Race Team Building works, step by step:
- Each team gets the same materials (cardboard, tape and scissors) and a set time to design and build their boat.
- The teams then race in a timed regatta in a pool, lake or controlled body of water.
- They paddle or push their craft to the finish.
- The fastest team wins — or the one that stays afloat longest, if the course is hard.
How to set up the competition in a cardboard boat regatta
The cardboard boat regatta has two equally fun parts: building and sailing. To keep the whole group involved from start to finish, it is worth running the competition with several categories rather than just the first boat over the line.
- Fastest boat: the classic, the team that reaches the finish first in the timed race.
- Best endurance: a prize for the boat that stays afloat the longest, even if it comes in last.
- Best design: a jury judges the idea, the boat's name and the team's presentation before launch.
- Most epic sinking: because going down in style also deserves applause, and it is usually what gets shared most.
With several categories, every team is in with a chance and nobody switches off even if their boat is not the quickest. Everyone gets the same materials, cardboard, tape and scissors, and the same building time, so the contest is fair. It is a team building activity for large groups that can run many teams in parallel. We help you define the categories and the prize-giving to suit the group and the goals of the event.
Requirements and format
- A controlled body of water: a pool, a lake or a stretch of coast with safe access.
- A dry build area, covered or outdoors, big enough for every team at once.
- Identical materials per team: cardboard, tape and scissors.
- Supervision on the water throughout the race.
- A large-group format: it takes many teams in parallel.
Cardboard Boat Regatta Team-Building
Images
Imagen
Cardboard boat regatta for summer incentives and coastal conventions
When the convention or incentive trip takes place in summer near the sea, the cardboard boat regatta for incentives is one of the activities that makes the most of the setting. It turns an afternoon at the hotel into a contest the group will remember for a long time.
- Hotels with a pool: the regatta takes place in the hotel's own pool, with no travel and the whole group together.
- Beaches and coves: on a stretch of coast with safe access, the activity becomes even more spectacular and photogenic.
- End of the working day: after the sessions, building and sailing relieves tension and brings teams together.
It is a perfect idea for the summer season and for dates such as Midsummer, when everyone wants to end the day by the water. It can be rounded off with an outdoor lunch or dinner where the prizes are handed out. We organise it in coastal destinations such as Barcelona, Valencia and the rest of the Spanish coast, and by inland lakes too. We bring the materials, set up the building area and supervise the water throughout the regatta; you simply provide access to the water area.
Why choose the Cardboard Boat Regatta?
- It develops engineering thinking and hands-on problem solving.
- It builds planning under limited resources and time.
- It produces laughter and shared moments between colleagues.
- It's among the most photogenic, shareable activities out there.
- It works especially well for large groups split into many teams.
What companies the Cardboard Boat Regatta suits
The Cardboard Boat Regatta fits many company event formats:
- Summer events and outdoor away days
- Conventions and sales incentives
- Large-format team building with many teams
- Companies with a pool, lake or coastline near the venue
Beach or pool team building: a cardboard boat race for large groups
Build and sail
Few images sum up a united team better than a group paddling a boat they built themselves. As team building on the beach or by a lake, the race becomes the story people talk about for months, and it is a summer activity for companies that is hard to beat.
If the event takes place at a hotel or country estate, pool team building for companies lets you enjoy the race without travelling. And as outdoor team building for large groups, it allows many teams to build at once, with knockout heats and a grand final. Tell us about the water space and number of participants and we will send you a proposal.
- Coastal hotel conventions: a race on the beach or in the pool to end the day.
- Corporate summer events: an outdoor activity that cools everyone down and brings staff together.
- Large groups in teams: dozens of boats built at once with knockout heats and a grand final.
- Sales incentives: a creative, photogenic challenge to reward high-performing sales teams.
Materials includedLarge groupsAll of Spain
Cardboard Boat Regatta price
The cost of the Cardboard Boat Regatta is calculated by taking into account the venue's water access, the length of the event and the number of participants. Write to us and you will get a quote tailored to your event, with no obligation.
Set-up and hire across Spain
The Cardboard Boat Regatta can be booked anywhere in the country: around 80% of our events take place outside Barcelona, in cities such as Madrid, Valencia, Seville, Zaragoza and Vigo.
We bring the build materials and set up the work area; all the client provides is access to the pool, lake or stretch of water where the race is held.
Booking the Cardboard Boat Regatta
Want to book the Cardboard Boat Regatta? It is confirmed once 50% is paid in advance, always by invoice. We then need these details by email:
- Date and hour of the celebration.
- Complete address plus a contact person.
- Expected number of attendees.
- Tax information for invoicing.
What if something comes up? Should the event be cancelled for justified reasons, the refund is considered in line with what was agreed.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Cardboard Boat Regatta team building and how does it work?
It is an activity where each team designs and builds its own boat from cardboard and tape, then competes in a timed regatta on the water. Everyone gets the same materials and limited time. The fastest team wins, or the one that stays afloat longest.
How many people can take part in the Cardboard Boat Regatta?
Between 20 and 200 people can take part, in teams of 8 to 10. With large groups, the Cardboard Boat Regatta is played in two rounds. The activity lasts about 3 hours and is run by 2 to 3 instructors depending on the size of the group.
What location does the Cardboard Boat Regatta need?
It needs a swimming pool, lake or safe stretch of water and a building area for the boats; access to the water is the only thing the client provides. It is an outdoor activity and needs no electricity. We bring the materials, including cardboard, duct tape, paddles and life jackets.
Can the Cardboard Boat Regatta be customised for our company?
Yes, the Cardboard Boat Regatta is customised with the name and colours of each boat, and with tailor-made preliminary challenges. Teams can win the boat's parts in challenges such as a sack race, a rope game or a maze.
