Quick ‘n’ Dirty Boat Building Challenge at Australian Wooden Boat Festival

Registrations for the 2019 MyState Bank Australian Wooden Boat Festival’s Quick ‘n’ Dirty Boat Building Challenge are flooding in and there are only a couple of spaces remaining.

Popular with both contestants and spectators, the event invites teams of four to construct a boat onsite and race it around Constitution Dock under propulsion of sail and paddle/oar.

Challenge Coordinator Suzy Manigian said, ‘Participants don’t need any prior boat building experience with each team supported by an adult mentor to organise their team and give them moral support and advice during the competition.’
The Quick ‘n’ Dirty boats are constructed of cane and canvas, in the traditional style of an Irish ‘currach’, and organisers conduct workshops to train the teams well in advance.

Veteran of four Quick ‘n’ Dirty challenges, Calvin Christian School teacher Simon Boonstra said, ‘The Quick ‘n’ Dirty Boat Building Challenge was a great team building exercise, the Calvin teams enjoyed the problem-solving challenges involved in building a boat in three hours, and they loved the race – they thought it was “massive fun”.’

The Quick ‘n’ Dirty Boat Building Challenge is staged in the Quick ‘n’ Dirty Arena in the epicentre of the Wooden Boat Festival. Thousands of spectators watch the under-the-pump teams exercise and develop their skills in design, confidence, practical construction, decoration, theming, boat- handling and team-work.

There are also lots of prizes up for grabs including a 90- minute cruise on a tall-ship on offer for the fastest boat to be built, best designed boat, best decorated boat, race winner, best sandwich board design.

Schools interested in fielding a team should contact Quick ‘n’ Dirty Coordinator Suzy Manigian on 0438 322 934 or email manigian@iinet.net.au

Photo above: Quick ‘n’ Dirty Boat Building happening at the 2017 Australian Wooden Boat Festival. Photo: Linda Nathan

Learn more at www.australianwoodenboatfestival.com.au