Eggs & Ham
A cardboard boat capable of transporting ≈140 pounds across an Olympic-size pool
During ASME's sophomore retreat, each team was tasked with designing a cardboard boat using some flattened boxes and a singular roll of duct tape. Afterwards, we'd race the boats across a pool and then play a game of battleship (like the intramural, not a board game). One person had to stay in the boat at all times, and teams were disqualified if their boats fell apart & became unusable.
We were judged on looks and creativity along with the actual games, so my team (Green Team) decided to make a speedboat.
We designed a front panel for windows, a stepped hull to reduce resistance, and an adjustable spoiler for aerodynamics. We tied for first in looks with a boat based on an Apollo shuttle (5th from the left) (it was pretty cool I can't lie).
Not only did we win first for looks, but our boat won second place in the race! I'm not a very strong swimmer, so my team going that fast while being down a member for half the length has to mean our boat was pretty good.
Placing so high in the design and race unfortunately made us prime targets for battleship, but our window and spoiler panels acted as water shields, letting us survive much longer despite three teams splashing water at us.
With only one roll of duct tape, we had to be meticilous with how we reinforced the boat. Obvious targets were the joints and edges of the boat to keep it from falling apart, as well as the hull that'd constantly face with rushing water.
The last important spot, the floor of the boat, needed to be secure, but we lacked enough duct tape to seal the whole thing. After some brainstorming, I decided on a net pattern to minimize the exposed surface area and distribute the load of our occupant.
As a plus, our boat was one of the few that didn't fall apart despite sinking during battleship, a testament to our design and planning.