Forget Jack O'Lanterns - Germans Make Pumpkin Boats

Ready to carve some pumpkins this year? Instead of scary faces, think about carving up a life-sized pumpkin boat.

Yeah, you read that right: German pumpkin enthusiasts lined up to participate in a pumpkin paddling regatta over the weekend, reports the Daily Mail. Canoes and Kayak are great and all, but nothing come close to the thrill of using an enormous hollow-out piece of fruit as a boat -- or so we're to believe.

Featuring eye-catching orange boats fashioned out of the largest specimens available, the Kürbis Regatta kicks off the annual Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival, held at the Ludwigsburg Castle in southwestern Germany. Details about the race are sparse, and we have no idea who won, but it would appear that the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival should be at the top of any pumpkin lover's bucket list, if only for the boats (which are so large that they have to be transported to the water by forklift).
It's a Cinderella story of sorts, only the pumpkins are turned into really inefficient boats. Before these massive pumpkins were magically converted into watercraft (read: gutted), many of them weighed it at over 200lbs, according to the Daily Mail. That may not be enough to beat Larry Southern's 1,000 pounder in West Virginia, but it's easily large enough to fit an adult human inside. Add a paddle and you've got yourself a boat! Although not necessarily a very stable one.

The Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Fest features a host of other attractions, like a giant seahorse made up of mini-pumpkins and a "largest pumpkin" contest. And the hundreds of pounds of pumpkin innards left over from the regatta don't go to waste: The restaurant inside the 17th century Ludwigsburg Castle reportedly uses the leftovers to concoct scrumptious stews, curries, and -- of course -- pumpkin pie. Lots and lots of pumpkin pie.