In conjunction with Semana Nautica, the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) will host the 17th annual Kardboard Kayak Race Team Challenge, Saturday, July 6. Registration is at noon, kayak building 1-2 p.m. and the race at 2 p.m.

SBMM’s Kardboard Kayak Races, at West Beach, challenge families and teams to participate in a battle of wits, creativity, design and courage.

Teams of up to four people each receive two sheets of cardboard, one roll of duct tape, a permanent marker, a utility knife, a yardstick, and just one hour to construct a functioning kayak out of only those materials.

Each of the assigned team paddlers will then be ready to race, and to find out whose design can hold up to the water and the pressure of being paddled out to a buoy and back.

The Kardboard Kayak Races are divided into separate heats to ensure fair competition: Family Fun (paddler must be age 14 or younger) and Paddling Pros (paddler is a “skilled” competitor).

Register online at sbmm.org or call 805-456-8747. Cost per team is $30 for SBMM members; $40 per team for non-members.

The event is sponsored by Condor Express and supported by Sambo’s Restaurant and Nothing Bundt Cakes, the Sana Barbara Sailing Center, Channel Islands Outfitters, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

— Rita Serotkin for Santa Barbara Maritime Museum.