"On your mark, get set, go!" Elementary students love to hear these words as they participate in the annual Third Grade Better Boat Challenge. This highly motivational project started a few years ago as the author was developing the third-grade science curriculum to include a study that revolved around models, design, and problem solving. It has since developed into an exciting and much-loved unit where third graders build, test, and modify speedboats, and later, sailboats. As students design and modify their craft, they experience design technology and develop their problem-solving skills. (Contains 1 figure and lists 1 online resource.)