PACK 24 RAINGUTTER REGATTA November 19, 2010 (7pm at Hawthorne) Welcome to the Pack 24 Raingutter Regatta! Get ready for a night of excitement, action and a lot of hot air. The premise of Raingutter Regatta is fairly simple. You, with your scout, build a boat from standard BSA kit and the scout personally blows their boat down a 10 gutter in head to head races. The biggest difference between RainGutter Regatta and the Pinewood Derby is that the scout s active participation in each race, rather than vehicle/vessel design, is integral to the outcome of the regatta. We will be dividing the pack into several divisions for this double elimination head to head regatta. The races involve two raingutters set side by side on a table. Two scouts will race against each other, seeing who can blow their boat from one end of the gutter to the other end the fastest! Searching online, you will find boat designs for two primary types of boats: Monohulls and Catamarans. We will be allowing either boat, so it is your choice whether to build a Monohull or Catamaran. Monohulls and Catamarans will be in separate divisions, with monohull racing against monohulls and catamarans racing against catamarans. Within each boat type, there will be multiple divisions based on the number of entrants for each boat type. Hydroplane boats are not allowed. As always, it's a good idea to start out by remembering the Cub Scout Motto, "Do Your Best," and some of the basic ideas behind good sportsmanship. 1. Overview The Raingutter Regatta is a parent-son project. Please feel free to give guidance and relevant assistance to your Scout as he builds his Raingutter Regatta boat. This is a chance for your son to be part of a team (he and you), and to enjoy the spirit of friendly competition with his peers. a. The race is open to all scouts, including Webelos II scouts that crossed over in January 2010. b. Each scout may enter only one boat in the competition. c. Since this is our first year, we will not have a siblings division, though we will consider that for any future regattas. d. Boats that have competed in a previous regatta are not permitted. e. Assigned boat numbers should appear on the front of the sail. f. If a boat becomes damaged during the races, repairs, within reason can be made. The most common issue in regattas are sails becoming loose and can be quickly repaired with a hot glue gun. g. Each boat must pass an inspection and be checked in Friday, November 12 th between 6:30-8:30pm at Hawthorne in the Art Room.
2. Regatta Format a. The regatta is a series of head to head heat races down 10 gutters. b. The regatta will be a double elimination format c. We anticipate having multiple divisions for Monohulls and multiple divisions for Catamarans. Brackets for each division will be posted and distributed prior to the regatta. d. Boats are started with the boat back end (stern) touching the end of the gutter. The race begins once the official starter has placed the competing boats against the back wall of the gutter and commands the scouts to "GO!" e. On the starter's command, the scouts will blow into the sail of their boat in order to advance them through the water. The boat can only be propelled by blowing into the sail. Once the race has started, the scout CANNOT touch his boat. Straws may not be used to blow through to propel the boat. f. If the boat becomes capsized or stuck, the boat can only be righted by a race official or the scout, if an official is not on hand. The scout may not advance the boat with his hand at any time. g. The first boat to reach the end of the gutter is the winner of that heat. The finish line official will have the final and only say in determining the winner of that heat. The winners of each heat will advance until a division winner is determined. The race will be run as a double elimination format. 3. Rewards and Recognition a. One Monohull and one Catamaran will be awarded Best in Show in each division for best decorated (by a scout). b. Trophies will be awarded to the first, second and third-place finishers in each division. We anticipate having multiple divisions for Monohulls and multiple divisions for Catamarans. c. Division winners will race for a PACK CHAMPION of Monohulls and a PACK CHAMPION for Catamarans. 4. Tips on racing a boat Testing your boat s balance and scouts blowing technique in the bathtub or a plastic sled at home is a great way to help the scout gain confidence for the race. Many scouts tend to blow "down" onto the boat at first, rather than "ahead". Concentrate on blowing "along" the course, rather than "down" into the water. a. Sometimes there's a tendency to get too close to the boat, which can cause it to be blown over, or lead to contact between the scout's face and the boat, so remind them not to get too close. b. Remember, the scout's performance is essential to the race--the boat won't get there by itself! As good as your boat design is, scouts can lose a race by focusing more on their opponent s boat than their own. c. Bend the rudder slightly to the left or right to correct any "tracking" problems.
5. Boat Design You and your scout will need to determine if you want to make a Monohull boat or a Catamaran. After choosing a boat design, follow the guidelines below for the selected boat. You can also reference the instructions that are included in the kit. Monohull Boat Specifications Overall: The sail, hull, keel, rudder and mast included in the BSA kit must be used. The addition of paint, decals, figures or other accessories are the scout s opportunity to personalize the hull and/or sail. Assigned boat number must appear on the sail. Hull: Must use the wood included in the BSA regatta kit. 1-piece design, no longer than 7" or shorter than 6 1/2. Bumpers mounted off the sides or rear of the hull are not allowed. Shaping note: It is not recommended to round the sides for hull. Less rounded is more stable than a more rounded hull. Mast: Should be 6 1/2" from deck to top of the mast. The mast can be sanded or shaped, but must be installed in the predrilled hole in the hull. Keel: The keel (metal centerboard) included with the kit is the only allowable keel. Must be installed to the bottom of the boat. The only allowable modifications are sanding to remove burrs and painting. Changing the shape of the keel is not allowed. Rudder: The rudder included with the kit is the only allowable rudder, and must be installed on the boat. The only allowable modifications are sanding to remove burrs and painting. Changing the shape of the rudder is not allowed. The rudder can be mounted anywhere under the boat, but cannot cause the boat to exceed 7 in overall length. Sail: Only the sail supplied with the kit may be used. The sail may be trimmed, but cannot be shaped or folded. Sail can be made smaller. The sail may be arched or curved in one dimension only. The sail should be permanently attached to the mast, so it does not slide or turn during the races. The use of hot glue works well. YOUR ASSIGNED BOAT NUMBER MUST APPEAR ON THE SAIL. Sail Tips: If the sail was too low the corners rubbed against the gutter or dipped in thewater. If the sail was too high the boat was top heavy and tended to tip over. Sealing the hull. Ensure the boat is waterproof! Paint all exposed areas of wood with polyurethane, acrylic or oil-based paint (acrylic is water resistant when dried). Krylon spray paint is a popular sealant, as it dries to sandable in about one minute on the balsa wood hull.
Catamaran Specifications Overall: The sail, hull, and rudder included in the BSA kit must be used. Keel and mast do not need to be used. The addition of paint, decals, figures or other accessories are the scout s opportunity to personalize the hull and/or sail. Assigned boat number must appear on the sail. Hull: Must use the wood included in the BSA regatta kit. Minimum hull length is 6. Maximum boat length with rudder installed is 7 ¾. Maximum boat width is 2 ¼. Bumpers mounted off the sides or rear of the hull are not allowed. Rudder: The rudder included with the kit is the only allowable rudder, and must be installed on the boat. The only allowable modifications are sanding to remove burrs and painting. Changing the shape of the rudder is not allowed. The rudder can be mounted anywhere under the boat, but cannot cause the boat to exceed 7 ¾ in overall length. Sail: Only the sail supplied with the kit may be used. The sail may be trimmed, or shaped. Sail can be made smaller. The sail can be mounted to the hulls or suspended. Sail must be mounted at least 3 from the rear of the hull. YOUR ASSIGNED BOAT NUMBER MUST APPEAR ON THE SAIL. Sealing the hull. Ensure the boat is waterproof! Paint all exposed areas of wood with polyurethane, acrylic or oil-based paint (acrylic is water resistant when dried). Krylon spray paint is a popular sealant, as it dries to sandable in about one minute on the balsa wood hull.
A Basic Catamaran Boat Design 1. Make the Hulls. By cutting the monohull into pieces, you develop 2 hulls and 2 crossbars. Cut 1 creates the two hulls. The rounded part becomes the bottom of the hulls and the area where the cut was made becomes the top of the hulls. By making cuts 2 and 3, you create flat bottoms to the hulls 2. Make the crossbars. The pieces left over after cuts 2 and 3 can become the crossbars to connect the hulls together. The crossbars need to be cut down so the maximum width of the boat is 2 ½. Cut 1 Cut 2 Cut 3 Crossbar Hull Hull Crossbar Mark these points about ¼ in front of the mast hole 3. Assemble the boat. Lay this out and glue the pontoons and crossbars together, being careful to keep everything square. If glue is used to attach the parts, hot glue or waterproof glue are recommended. The front side of the forward crossbar can be used as a mounting point for the sail. The rudder can be mounted to the back of the rear crossbar. 4. Add mast(s), if desired. The mast isn't necessary, though, and a mastless design with the sail described below will perform better. 5. Sail. The sail can be cut down to reduce top heaviness and the bottom can be cut to fit against the deck. The center of the sail can be glued to the crossbar. Glue the corners of the sail to the side of the hulls to create a cup shape to the sail.
Cut down overall height Leave tabs to attach to outer edge of hulls Cut out this area so the sail fits to the deck