Young boat builders assembled at Sacajawea Park in Polson last Thursday for the North Lake County Library’s annual boat-building challenge.

Each participant received a kit containing a sheet of foil, a sheet of wax paper, eight popsicle sticks, five straws, two rubber bands and one foot of tape.

Their creations were placed in an inflated swimming pool, where the library’s summer assistant Sara Brookman, a teacher at Mission Valley Christian Academy, weighted boats with nickels until they sunk.

“The boat that held the most weight was made by a young boy named Robert, and it held 115 nickels,” said Felicia Gill, youth services librarian. He received a t-shirt from Total Screen Design.

“Every summer, kids try to build the strongest boat they can,” she explained. “The one that holds the most booty before they’re comprised wins the prize.”

Last year they weighted vessels with pennies, but this year, they bumped the booty up to nickels because they weigh a little more.

One young boat builder, whose carefully constructed craft even included a miniature rower and straw oars, balked at seeing his vessel sunk.

“It’s pretty nice,” Jackson said as he and his mom headed home with the intact boat. “I don’t want to sink it.”

    A rapt group of onlookers watches as their creations are carefully loaded with nickels by Sara Brookman during Boat Building Day at Sacajawea Park, hosted by the North Lake County Library in Polson. The highest tally was 115 5-centers, which finally sank a kid named Robert's boat. (Kristi Niemeyer/Leader)