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Raingutter Regatta: Cub Scouts, Derby, Sailboats, Designs And Rules
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Published: November 21, 2007
The raingutter regatta is an exciting annual event for Cub Scouts in the United States. Considered as the sailboat counterpart of the pinewood derby and the space derby, the raingutter regatta involves the construction of a miniature sailboat and later racing them on a 10-foot long rain gutter filled with water.
To propel the boats forward, the Cub Scouts must either blow directly on the sail or by using a drinking straw.
Very much like the pinewood derby, the primary challenge for the Scouts is to build their own miniature sailboats using the official sailboat kit. The kit is comprised of a 7-inch long hull made of balsa wood, a plastic sail, a 6-1/2 inch mast, a metal keel and a plastic rudder. Scouts are allowed to design and decorate their boats, provided that their designs and modifications follow the design rules.
On the day of the raingutter regatta race, these decorated sailboats are placed on a 10-foot long rain gutter filled with water, and the Scouts will either blow on the sail itself or blow through drinking straws to propel their boats forward. The Cub Scouts should not touch the boat or the sail with their hands or their drinking straws. The boats can only be handled if they are overturned during the race. The first boat that gets to the rain gutter's end is declared the winner. The overall champion for the event is determined through elimination system.
Since Scouts are free to design their sailboats in congruence to the design rules, the event primarily becomes a showcase of creativity and artistic skills before the main event, the raingutter regatta race.
A popular and stunning modification for the raingutter regatta boats is the catamaran. Although boats with the catamaran design are known for being amazingly fast, not all raingutter regatta events allow Scouts to use this design. Therefore, Scouts may want to search for other effective modifications aside from the catamaran design. There are many free tips and tricks found on the Internet that guide Scouts on how to do basic modifications for winning raingutter regatta boats.
As such, most of the modification work involves painting the hulls and decorating or redesigning the sails. The hulls are usually shaped by sanding until smooth before being hand painted or spray painted and decorated with stickers and decals. Scouts also decorate their boats with decals and stickers that come in a wide variety of designs. Some of the most popular decal and sticker designs include pirates, ships, boats, Vikings, dolphins and dragons.
Scouts are advised to always have a spare sailboat kit at hand in case something goes wrong with their designs and modifications. They can search online regatta sailboat stores for kits that meet the regulations of the raingutter regatta.
Every year, the raingutter regatta showcases hundreds of beautiful and unique sailboats that embody the creativity and resourcefulness of Cub Scouts. Like its racecar counterpart, the pinewood derby, the raingutter regatta is an exciting annual event that challenges the creativity and strategic planning of young Americans through fun and friendly competition.
Sources:
"Raingutter Regatta." Wikipedia.org. 24 Sept. 2007. 21 Nov. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raingutter_regatta.
"Rain Gutter Regatta." Buckskin.org. 5 March 2006. 21 Nov. 2007. http://www.buckskin.org/Resources/Cubs/raingutter_ regatta.htm.
"Raingutter Regatta - World Class Boats." raingutter-regatta.com. 21 Nov. 2007. http://www.raingutter-regatta.com/.
"Construction Kit Raingutter Regatta From Pine Ca, Pine-Pro." hobbylinc.com. 21 Nov. 2007. http://www.hobbylinc.com/prods/ywg.htm.
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Very much like the pinewood derby, the primary challenge for the Scouts is to build their own miniature sailboats using the official sailboat kit. The kit is comprised of a 7-inch long hull made of balsa wood, a plastic sail, a 6-1/2 inch mast, a metal keel and a plastic rudder. Scouts are allowed to design and decorate their boats, provided that their designs and modifications follow the design rules.
On the day of the raingutter regatta race, these decorated sailboats are placed on a 10-foot long rain gutter filled with water, and the Scouts will either blow on the sail itself or blow through drinking straws to propel their boats forward. The Cub Scouts should not touch the boat or the sail with their hands or their drinking straws. The boats can only be handled if they are overturned during the race. The first boat that gets to the rain gutter's end is declared the winner. The overall champion for the event is determined through elimination system.
Since Scouts are free to design their sailboats in congruence to the design rules, the event primarily becomes a showcase of creativity and artistic skills before the main event, the raingutter regatta race.
A popular and stunning modification for the raingutter regatta boats is the catamaran. Although boats with the catamaran design are known for being amazingly fast, not all raingutter regatta events allow Scouts to use this design. Therefore, Scouts may want to search for other effective modifications aside from the catamaran design. There are many free tips and tricks found on the Internet that guide Scouts on how to do basic modifications for winning raingutter regatta boats.
As such, most of the modification work involves painting the hulls and decorating or redesigning the sails. The hulls are usually shaped by sanding until smooth before being hand painted or spray painted and decorated with stickers and decals. Scouts also decorate their boats with decals and stickers that come in a wide variety of designs. Some of the most popular decal and sticker designs include pirates, ships, boats, Vikings, dolphins and dragons.
Scouts are advised to always have a spare sailboat kit at hand in case something goes wrong with their designs and modifications. They can search online regatta sailboat stores for kits that meet the regulations of the raingutter regatta.
Every year, the raingutter regatta showcases hundreds of beautiful and unique sailboats that embody the creativity and resourcefulness of Cub Scouts. Like its racecar counterpart, the pinewood derby, the raingutter regatta is an exciting annual event that challenges the creativity and strategic planning of young Americans through fun and friendly competition.
Sources:
"Raingutter Regatta." Wikipedia.org. 24 Sept. 2007. 21 Nov. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raingutter_regatta.
"Rain Gutter Regatta." Buckskin.org. 5 March 2006. 21 Nov. 2007. http://www.buckskin.org/Resources/Cubs/raingutter_ regatta.htm.
"Raingutter Regatta - World Class Boats." raingutter-regatta.com. 21 Nov. 2007. http://www.raingutter-regatta.com/.
"Construction Kit Raingutter Regatta From Pine Ca, Pine-Pro." hobbylinc.com. 21 Nov. 2007. http://www.hobbylinc.com/prods/ywg.htm.
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