By Jon Show – Cornelius Today is partnering with students from the Hough High School STEM Club to design, build and race an entry in the annual Cornelius Cardboard Boat Regatta.

Now in its second year, the regatta pits amateur boat builders against one another in races on Lake Norman. Prizes are awarded for Best Decorated, People’s Choice, and the Titanic Award for sinking.

The regatta was rained out lasts week and will now be held Saturday at Jetton Park from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Admission is free, and a food truck will be on site.

Last year’s event was won by the Fohr family of Mooresville with their vessel, “Sea Ya.” The Titanic Award went to a boat aptly named “Soggy Bottom.”

All boats must be made primarily of cardboard and tape, with limits on substances used to seal seams. The competition features timed heats followed by a championship race.

Advance registration is required and capped at 25 teams. The cost is $25 per team for residents and $35 for nonresidents. Proceeds benefit Float It Forward, a nonprofit that provides personal flotation devices for docks and promotes water and boating safety.

Anthony Iota, Vincent Hancock, Barry Kaplan and Nash Beshears — all juniors at Hough — spent April designing and building the Cornelius Today vessel.

After reviewing multiple prototypes, the team settled on a V-hull design similar to a traditional dugout canoe.

“The canoe design allows the boat to maintain a stable path forward without veering off in either direction,” said Beshears. “We think the design is best for hydrodynamics, personal capacity, flotation and longevity.”

“Also, we watched a couple YouTube videos of other designs that fell apart instantly,” he added.

The race is the only event in the parks and recreation summer event series that’s held on Lake Norman, and the department is hopeful it develops into a signature annual event for the town.

“Our first regatta was quite the spectacle, so given the success of year one and anticipation of year two, we believe the race will soon become one of our most anticipated annual events,” said Troy Fitzsimmons, director of Cornelius Parks and Recreation.