Find and save ideas about cardboard boat race on pinterest. | see more ideas about boat anchors, free boat plans cardboard boat designs. Boat building process step 1: draw a design on paper and use this design to build a small mock-up. use this scale model to determine how many sheets of cardboard you’ll need. the phoenix zoo team designed their “giraffe” boat and had a fun time testing the design on the river.. Research to see what type of boats other people have built. googling “cardboard boats” or “cardboard boat design” etc. can be enlightening..