LAKESIDE — For a fleet of boats fashioned together with cardboard and duct tape, they proved awfully durable Saturday. Crews of up to four people madly paddled the handmade contraptions across Tenmile Lake.

For the first time in 10 years, none of the boats disintegrated in the water. While that sounds a little disappointing for a race that tests the durability of the cardboard crafts, along with the ability of crews to man their ships, one did tip over during the 10th annual Lakeside Cardboard Boat Challenge.

Organizer Judy Funk said it’s probably a sign that participants have learned to make the better cardboard boat.

“Every time there has been at least one, and sometimes more, that sinks. That’s kind of what makes the event, too,” Funk said. “I think they’re just using more duct tape, cellophane; and more time goes into building them.”

There was definitely lots of duct tape covering the hulls of the majority of nine boats that hit the water at Tenmile Lakes Dock that afternoon.

“Everybody has a different idea on how to build a cardboard boat. They’ve become very creative,” said organizer and dock coordinator Georgia Vukovich.

One craft, “Sticky Icky” a speed-boat style racer created by employees of Walt’s Pourhouse, easily won the challenge’s classiest boat contest for the day. Crewmen said they used about $200 of multicolored duct tape, complete with hot pink flames, along with Coos Bay Police Department and Walt’s stickers.

Its crew, North Bend resident Izzy Pullings, 25, the head of security at Walt’s, and bartender TJ White, 32, spent three days building the two-seater. They’re first year participating, Pullings and White said they bought all of Walmart’s pink duct tape and got some pretty funny looks doing it.

“It’s a ladies’ boat,” Pullings joked as he waited for the Class 2, two-man race to begin.” We’re building a ship next year.”

Sticky Icky competed in several races, including one quickly dubbed the Churchmen versus the Bar men. In that heat, the sleek craft went against a cardboard kayak/canoe hybrid, “The Viking” created by Reedsport Foursquare Church members Riley Johnson of Reedsport and  Matthew Capps of Lakeside, both 17 , and the larger “Hope Floats” from the Coquille Foursquare Church Pray Center. Another craft, “Up the Creek” also joined the two-man challenge.

In that heat, racers took off from the dock, flipped around a buoy about 500 yards away and then returned to touch the starting point. At first the journey seemed pretty easy, although the boats sometimes collided. But on the way back, paddlers had to put in some muscle, and boy, were their guns tired. Sweating and panting after Sticky Icky finished the race, both White and Pullings seemed exhausted.

“That head wind, you could feel it,” White said. “I swear it picked up 20 when we turned that corner.”

Fun is definitely what the event is about, Vukovich said. Created by Mike Smalley of the Osprey Point RV Resort as an activity for his venue, the cardboard boat races eventually became a community affair. About 15 volunteers helped put on the challenge.

Watching his 7-year-old daughter, Natasha, paddle her way around the dock during “Pollywogs,” the first race of the day, Lakeside resident Dave Rader encouraged the girl, although her boat “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” was uncontested. Rader used about 12 small rolls and four large rolls of duct tape to build the silver, red, white and blue car boat.

“I’m just happy it hasn’t sunk yet. I don’t care if it takes 20 minutes,” Rader said.

After receiving a plastic gold medal for her win, Natasha called the race “awesome.”

Standing on a man-made beach next to the dock, audience members Marlene and Dave Kohanes of Salem, said they enjoyed it.

“I feel sorry for the people who have to go out and paddle,” Marlene Kohanes said.