Cardboard Boat Building Challenge
Unleash your team’s ingenuity in the Cardboard Boat Building Challenge, a thrilling activity where collaboration meets creativity as you design, construct, and race boats from cardboard.
What Is Cardboard Boat Building Challenge
The Cardboard Boat Building Challenge is a corporate building team activity that turns your group into rival shipbuilders. Teams of 4 to 8 people get a limited supply of cardboard, tape, and basic materials, and one job: design and construct a boat that can float, hold a paddler, and cross the finish line first.
This boat building team challenge is part design sprint, part hands on construction, and part friendly competition. Before anyone touches the water, teams sketch their design, assign roles, and pitch their boat concept to the group, so the thinking behind the build gets just as much attention as the build itself.
Why teams love this boat build team building activity:
- No experience necessary. Your team doesn’t need any boat building or engineering background, just curiosity and a willingness to get creative with cardboard and tape.
- Boats become brand statements. Teams often decorate and name their boat, turning the build into a chance to show off company spirit alongside sound engineering.
- Suitable for indoor or outdoor events. Pair it with a company picnic, retreat, or lakeside gathering for a fun hot-weather team building activity, or take the fun indoors, where an indoor pool works just as well!
- It flexes for any size crowd. Whether you’re a team of 25 or 250, this activity can be scaled to fit almost any team size.
The Cardboard Boat Building Challenge is fully facilitated so that everyone can join in the fun. A dedicated event planner and professional host handle setup, materials, and teardown, plus team photography and medals for the winning crew, so your team just needs to show up ready to build (and maybe get a little wet).
Cardboard Boat Building Challenge Agenda
Welcome and Team Formation
The event will begin with a welcome from your event host, who will assist in organizing the group into teams at the specified location. Following this, participants will receive a detailed briefing on the activity.
Cardboard Boat Building Launch
The event host provides detailed instructions for the Cardboard Boat Build. Teams are tasked with creating a functional boat from cardboard and tape, marketing their creation effectively, and then piloting it in a race.
Cardboard Boat Building
Teams brainstorm and design their boats, which must be approved before purchasing materials from the Outback store with their designated budget. Teams will also prepare marketing presentations. During the challenge, the Host may introduce additional elements (e.g., a hat, a flag) to boost competition. This phase promotes problem-solving, creativity, and teamwork.
Cardboard Boat Building Marketing Presentations
Participants will gather to experience each team’s marketing presentation. Event hosts will score presentations.
Cardboard Boat Race
Teams race their boats, with one member from each team piloting. The goal is to complete a set distance while ensuring the boat remains water-worthy and performs the fastest.
Wrap Up, Recognition and Photo Op
Teams will reconvene to exchange experiences and review their efforts. The host will facilitate discussions on key takeaways and lessons learned throughout the process. The event will wrap up with congratulations all around to commemorate a successful event.
Ready to See What Your Team Can Build?
Bring your team together for a cardboard boat building team activity that ends in a race they'll be talking about for years. Get a custom quote based on your group size, location, and event date.
What's Included With Your Cardboard Boat Building Challenge
Included
Professional Event Host
Event Set Up and Tear Down
Team Photos
Medals For The Winning Team
Dedicated Event Planner
Required From You
Venue For Your Activity With Access To A Nearby Body Of Water
Any Necessary Park Permits
Weather-Appropriate Clothing And Footwear For Outdoors
Suitable Clothing That Can Get Wet
Cardboard Boat Building Challenge Brochure
Enter your details below to receive the event brochure:
Cardboard Boat Building Challenge Photos
Cardboard Boat Building Challenge Frequently Asked Questions
We appreciate that weather is not always predictable, so we have a back-up plan in the event of poor weather. We can switch your event to our indoor app-based Team Pursuit event at no extra charge. You would need to arrange a backup space for the activity, and we need notice of 2 hours to make the switch.
We understand that plans can change, so please reach out as early as possible, and we’ll do our best to accommodate your needs. Date changes may incur a change fee, please reach out to your Sales Engagement Consultant to discuss further.
The Cardboard Boat Building Challenge is a team building activity where groups design and construct boats from cardboard and tape, then race them against other teams’ builds on the water.
Yes, the boats are built to actually float and race head-to-head against other teams’ boats, testing each design under real water conditions during the event’s race finale.
Where Bridge Builders focuses on structural design and load testing, the Cardboard Boat Building Challenge adds a live water race, giving teams a visible, high-energy finale to their engineering build.
This activity scales from smaller teams building a handful of boats up to large groups running multiple heats, making it adaptable to both intimate offsites and larger company events.
What Our Clients Are Saying
Many thanks to you and your team
The feedback from the team was very positive. Many thanks to you and your team for creating an enjoyable learning experience
Red Hat
Every single employee was engaged
This event was a company-wide hit! It was so much fun. Teams were laughing, talking, strategizing, and generally having a great deal of fun. Every single employee was engaged – some were building boats, some were creating marketing material, and some were negotiating for better prices of materials! It was really amazing to see every single person working hard on their team.
Kaplan
The facilitator was very professional and on point
Our entire team thought the team building activity was excellent. The timing was great, and the facilitator was very professional and on point. Thank you for the assistance, and when the time and need arises, we will definitely call and/or recommend your organization.
The Westin Bonaventure
Your team was extremely attentive to our group
It was an awesome event that met our goals, level of enjoyment, and was engaging for all participants. The event was pure fun! Your team was extremely attentive to our group. They were available and willing to answer all questions. Friendly and supportive!
Charlotte Country Day School
The day really achieved all my expectations in terms of learning and having fun
I never would have dreamed that a cardboard boat could float – amazing! There were lots of great lessons learned – especially the idea that even a ‘no’ could be negotiated, so always keep trying! The day really achieved all my expectations in terms of learning and having fun.
Scotiabank
Everyone really enjoyed the activity
Everyone said they really enjoyed getting to know people that they probably never would have known otherwise. One of my favorite parts was watching all of the super-serious and usually more reserved senior partners get really into the activities and even paddle their team’s cardboard boat!
Capco
Your team was great at making it fun and engaging both times
The facilitator did a great job with the Cardboard Boat Building Challenge. We have done the same event twice now, and your team was great at making it fun and engaging both times…even for people who had done it before! We would be happy to do this event again. 10/10!
Carnival Casino
Best team building event we have ever done
Overall, this was the best team building event we have ever done because it was challenging, fun, and creative. We all laughed together and got to know each other on a more personal level, which has brought us closer together as a group.
Lululemon
The event was well organized.
Our staff had a great time. The event was well organized and the event facilitators did a great job of explaining the process/rules/etc.
TCEQ
We loved the cardboard boat building challenge and found this to be our favourite event so far that we have participated in with Outback Team Building!
We loved the cardboard boat building challenge and found this to be our favourite event so far that we have participated in with Outback Team Building! The strategy, bartering, construction, marketing campaign, and the boat race made it extremely fun and competitive and allowed every person to participate!
SHAPE
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