After the AP Physics Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism exams, my physics class had a wooden boat building competition.

Using 5/8” x 96” (imperial, ewww) redwood planks, groups of 4-5 of my classmates built boats and were graded on structural design and aesthetic. We were also restricted to using only 20 planks, wood glue, and saws as our only materials/tools. Not using power tools turned out to be a serious frustration. In my group, I was the main designer and modeled out the boat in fusion360, and I tried my best to incorporate strong bracing throughout it. We also extensively used a notching system to holding everything together and to keep it sturdy. Here is the model:

and it turned out really well! We did horribly in the race but our boat ended up being incredibly strong in the battle royale (in which we fight in the boats). The frame didn’t break one bit, although the plastic wrap used to waterproof it was punctured a number of times (possibly because someone’s finger accidentally poked it, even though that was against the rules). Here are some pictures of the actual boat:

The boat also had a very sturdy nose:

The final product: