2010 Minneapolis Aquatennial Milk Carton Boat Race (The Red Admiral)

The Red Admiral boat competed in the Admiral division of the 2010 Aquatennial Milk Carton Boat race on Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The boat was 50 ft from bow to stern and 16 ft from port to starboard (18 ft at paddle wheel). It took over a thousand hours to plan, design and build offsite with an additional two days to construct on the shores of Lake Calhoun. The deck was covered in about a ton of real sod (weight before the rain storm), and floated by means of nearly 3,000 milk cartons. Total weight was close to 3 tons; this includes sod, 2x4s, 2x6s and plywood/OSB.

After construction finished, the night before the race, a major lightening, rain and windstorm pounded the Red Admiral, which did a number on the boat. The next morning, the Red Admiral limped to the start line with much of the damage repaired, except for the main drive system. The boat's paddle wheel was no longer securely fastened and therefore could not be powered by the bikes painstakingly set up as the propulsion system, and the rudder system was destroyed. In addition many of the high waves tore up the deck, leaving the middle of the boat lying close to water level and adding about another 1,000 pounds of rainwater.

The crew took second place in speed in their division by pushing the paddle wheel with their hands while taking home 1st place in creativity. After the race the boat was used as a swimming platform, games of croquet, a nighttime bonfire, and listening to good music - all the while shuttling people from ship to shore using a canoe, which could be stored on deck.

Additional video from pre-assembly to disassembly including the night after the race are here: http://www.youtube.com/user/Razzed180#p/u/6/z0N9SVVdxs0

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• 2010
• Milk
• carton
• boat
• race
• minneapolis
• minnesota
• aquatennial
• lake
• calhoun
• summer
• water
• flotation
• storm
• rain
• waves