Five row boats assembled out of cardboard and duct tape touched water for the first time (and for some, the last time) Aug. 24 at the first annual cardboard boat race at Country Lake Golf Club in Warrenton.

The pilots of the boats paddled hard to be the first to cross the 50 yard line in a charity race to raise money for Agape, a support service for low-income families in Warren County.

“It was a really fun event and we were glad to be included,” said Michelle Bernth, Executive Director of Agape. “Whether big or small, fundraising events are so valuable to us as an organization to fund our programs and services for Warren County.”

Bernth said Agape received $337 from collections during the cardboard boat race.

A small paddle boat race before the main event also raised money to buy supplies for the Warrenton High School girls golf team.

Jason Willbrand, the organizer for the race, said he was happy with the races. He plans to make it an annual event and hopes to add more boaters every year.

Racers try not to sink

The race participants were mostly from the Warrenton area. In large part, the crews didn’t have a chance to test their cardboard vessels before taking on the challenge.

“I’m amazed. I thought we were going to sink right off the bat,” said Ben Hoelsher, copilot of the Leaky Dinghy.

Hoelscher, copilot Taylor Lutz, and friends Dillon Keeven and Conrad Schaumberg built the boat together. Despite its name, the Dinghy, with its water-resistant black coating, was one of several vessels that carried its crew all the way to the finish line 50 yards out and then back to shore. They placed second in the race.

It might have helped that Hoelscher is going to school to study aerospace engineering.

“I calculated, when we’re in it, that the water doesn’t exceed the height of the boat and then pour in. The buoyant force pushing up on the boat had to be more than the force of our weight,” Hoelscher explained.

One of the other noble cardboard vessels was not quite as well designed, and now rests beneath the waves 50 yards from the Hole 1 tee box. Aptly named the SOS, the boat wasn’t exactly boat shaped. In fact, spectators might describe it more as just a big box with the joints duct taped.

Still, the SOS performed admirably, only losing one crew member overboard while pilot Zack Hoelscher rowed his way across the finish line with a snow shovel. He couldn’t bring the box around for a return trip, though, so he and fellow crew member Glenna Keeven were retrieved by a pair of kayaking lifeguards.

The big winner of the day was the SS Taco, built by Kirk Lutz and Dave Kirkwood, and piloted by Lutz. This sleek cardboard canoe looked like it might have been purchased at Bass Pro, except for the caulking and cardboard box labels visible along the hull. 

Lutz finished the race almost as soon as it had started, skimming easily across the top of the water and leaving the competition behind.

The third and fourth place competitors were Kevin Mitchell, piloting his dog-shaped boat, the SS Ebony, and Colin DiSilvester, rowing from the pilot seat of the Usain Boat.

Both rowers lost their balance and went man overboard into the lake. But in the fashion of good sportsmen, they swam their boats across the finish line before returning them to shore.

Family friendly

Before the race, Colin DiSilvester said he was just trying to think about paddling as hard as he can. 

Building the Usain Boat was a three-day group project with Matt and Caleb DiSilvester and Andrew Barry.

“We do everything together,” said Matt, Colin’s father. “I’ve coached his baseball teams, his football teams. We do a lot of stuff together.”

Willbrand, the organizer, said it was a good first year, and several racers had already expressed interest in taking on the challenge again next year.

“A lot of heart and creativity went into (the boats),” Willbrand said. “I hope to double the number of boats next year. That’s my goal.”

Willbrand thanked all of the participants for taking the cardboard boat challenge and having a good time, and all of the community members who came out to watch the races and support local charities.

Pictured at right, Zack Hoelscher uses a snow shovel to row aboard the SOS, one of five cardboard boats competing in a race for charity Friday, Aug. 24, at Country Lake Golf Club in Warrenton. With him is Glenna Keeven. At left, Colin DiSilvester pushes the Usain Boat after falling into the water. 

Taylor Lutz, at left, rows while partner Ben Hoelscher takes a moment to celebrate the success of their cardboard boat, the Leaky Dinghy on Friday, Aug. 24. The two took second place in the first annual cardboard boat race at Country Lake Golf Club in Warrenton. 

Dave Kirkwood, left, and Kirk Lutz display their boat, the SS Taco, made from cardboard boxes. They took first place at the first annual cardboard boat race Aug. 24 at Country Lake Golf Club in Warrenton. 

The building crew of the Usain Boat pose with their cardboard creation ahead of the first annual cardboard boat race at Country Lake Golf Club on Friday, Aug. 24. Pictured from left are Caleb, Matt and Colin DiSilvester and Andrew Barry. 

The builders of the Leaky Dinghy took a photo with their vessel before launching it to a second place finish at the first annual cardboard boat race Friday, Aug. 24 at Country Lake Golf Club. Pictured, from left, are Dillon Keeven, Conrad Schaumberg, Taylor Lutz and Ben Hoelscher. 

Kevin Mitchell rests in his cardboard boat, the SS Ebony, along with Ebony the dog. Mitchell took third place in the first annual cardboard boat race Aug. 24 at Country Lake Golf Club in Warrenton. 

The crew of the cardboard boat SOS, Glenna and Scott Keeven and Zack Hoelscher, pose next to their watercraft before the start of the first annual cardboard boat race Aug. 24 at Country Lake Golf Club in Warrenton.