Missouri Man Sets New Record for 38-Mile River Journey in 1,208-Lb. Pumpkin Boat

In early October, a man from Lebanon, Missouri set out to break the Guinness world record for the longest journey by pumpkin boat. Steve Kueny went 38 miles on the Missouri River in about 11 hours. His boat was a giant 1,208-pound pumpkin called Huckle Berry, and his journey started in Kansas City and ended in Napoleon. The boat ride started at 7:30 a.m. and ended at 6:18 p.m.

Paddling With a Pumpkin Boat

If everything checks out, Steve Kueny will beat the previous record set by Duane Hansen in 2022. Hansen paddled over 37 miles in 2022, and after a lot of planning, Kueny did one mile more. He was not alone on the river, though. Paddle KC Padding Club boats were going along with him to make sure he was safe while doing something so silly. They also helped him keep track of his progress on the river.

There is footage of Kueny’s boat ride. On it, he is sitting inside his pumpkin boat, holding a paddle and wearing an American flag vest with a bucket hat. He started planning for his record attempt in February, and now that he is done, Kueny has to give all evidence, like GPS data and witness testimonies, to the Guinness World Records organization for verification.

The Verification Process

The guys at the Guinness Records Management Team confirm the success of record attempts by checking if the evidence is enough to show that a new record was set. A Guinness World Records spokesperson confirmed they got the application for the recent longest journey by pumpkin boat attempt. After they get the evidence they have to review it, and it can take anywhere from 12 to 15 weeks to get everything checked out.

Once Kueny gives all his evidence, Guinness will check if he did actually beat Hansen’s record of 37.5 miles. Hansen rode his 846-pound pumpkin on the Missouri River, and the one who had the record before him was Rick Swenson, who held the record after a 25.5-mile journey in 2018.