Reduce. Reuse. Race!

May 31, 2023

Sarah Curtis nears the finish line of the first ever Corrugated Cup Cardboard Boat race in Saranac Lake in 2016. Curtis, in her boat Freedom, took second place in the race. The event is returning this summer to Lake Flower.(Enterprise photo — Justin Levine)

SARANAC LAKE — It's been seven years since daring seafarers and boat builders braved the waters of Lake Flower in vessels crafted from corrugated cardboard, duct tape and paint, but next month they’ll do it once again with the return of the Corrugated Cup.

The race was held just once before — its inaugural race was in 2016. Adirondack Lakes and Trails Outfitters owner Jason Smith said he's not sure why they’ve never held it again.

"We all agreed it was a good time and it should be repeated, so here it is," he said.

The race will be held on Sunday, June 25 at Riverside Park.

There will be a time the morning of the race at 9 a.m. for participants to build their boats with some cardboard available on site. ADK ArtRise is also planning a boat building workshop on June 13 at 3:30 p.m. for people to get their cardboard creations ready for race day.

Contestants in the first ever Saranac Lake Corrugated Cup Cardboard Boat Race sprint to the water in 2016. The event is returning this summer to Lake Flower.(Enterprise photo — Justin Levine)

Smith said people can also do BYOC — bring your own cardboard. He suggests contacting furniture stores for their corrugated refuse.

The boats must be primarily cardboard. The only other approved materials are duct tape, glue and latex paint.

"Usually, the boats sink or fall apart. It's a hoot and a holler," ArtRise co-owner Julia Csanko said.

In the first year, most of the 10 boats entered sank before crossing the finish line.

"We had a bunch of people out in the water so we can quickly evacuate, mostly the cardboard. All the people are safely wearing life vests," Smith said. "It was actually a cleaner, easier-to-manage event than we were anticipating."

Reuben Bernstein of Vermontville jumps into Lake Flower after he and his partner, Adrian Hayden, right, won the first ever Saranac Lake Corrugated Cup Cardboard Boat Race in a bird-shaped boat in 2016.(Enterprise photos — Justin Levine)

The inspiration for the first race came from another paddling product.

Smith said when they get stand-up paddle board deliveries at the shop, they come in huge 16-foot long cardboard boxes and he's never sure what to do with them. Then, he visited a cardboard boat race in Cranberry Lake.

"‘Man, you could make some sweet boats out of these things,'" he remember thinking, looking at the SUP boxes.

There is a $10 entry fee per person. To register for the race, go to https://bit.ly/3BZzI9E. Rules and registration can be found on the Adirondack Lakes and Trails Outfitters website at https://bit.ly/3C3gBLH.

The Saranac Waterfront Lodge will host a barbecue at 11:30 a.m. on race day before the paddle to the finish starts at 1 p.m. Smith said Cochran Container Service is supplying a dumpster for the event. The event is also getting financial support from Franklin County's Adirondack Frontier economic development agency.

Smith said people have wanted to bring the event back for a while, and he thought it was a great way to cap off "Celebrate Paddling" month in Saranac Lake.

In 2016, Reuben Bernstein and Adrian Hayden were the first across the finish line in a boat that was called either the Reubian or the Bluester. Sarah Curtis was the first across the line in a single boat, named Freedom.

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