Scoutmaster’s Tips for Raingutter Regatta Boats
This year, the Pack Committee has decided that our boats will race in two classes; Cats and Monohulls. Cats have two hulls, created by “splitting” the boat provided with the kit into two pieces, monohulls use the single hull provided. Cats are definitely faster, but the monohulls are much easier to build.
A pizza party will be awarded to the den whose member wins each class. Certificates will also be awarded for the most original design, best paint job and best decoration.
Raingutter Regatta Boat Specifications:
Hull: No longer than 7" or shorter than 6 1/2"
Mast: 6 1/2" from deck to top
Keel: Supplied in kit
Rudder: Supplied in kit
Sail: Supplied in kit
Building your boat:
First, all parts of the boat (excluding paint and decoration) must be from the Pack provided kit. Use a small hand saw to get a rough outline and then use sandpaper to finalize the shape (60-100 grit paper will do the rough shaping, 150-220 grit will smooth out the finish.
Once you have completed smoothing your boat, you will want to paint. Primer is a good bet, as it will seal the wood and make for a smoother paint finish. After the primer, finish with a good quality WATERPROOF paint, such as enamel. Spray paint makes the job go pretty quick.
Monohulls:
Follow the kit directions for building a monohull. Steps include mounting the keel and rudder (prior to painting) and mounting the mast and sail. A “crazy glue” type product is great for this, with the “thick” variety working better than the “thin”. Make sure the keel and rudder are mounted strait to the boat. Also, make sure that the sail is glued to the mast where the mast passes through the sail. Omitting this step will cause the sail to “spin” on the mast, without much motive force being supplied to the boat (if you have a hot glue gun, use it here).
There are a variety of sites on the web that discuss building Raingutter Regatta boats. One site with good general “how to” information is from Pack 230 in Wilmington, DE. They can be found at http:// www.cubscoutpack230.org/indexrain.asp
Cats:
As noted above, Cats are much more difficult to build that their single hulled counterparts, but also much faster. There has been a lot of debate about the “legality” of cats, but there appears to be no rules against this hull configuration.
In general, building a Cat will entail splitting the kit provided hull down the middle to create two hulls. These get glued together with scraps from the kit hull and the sail gets glued directly to the hull, with no mast.
Rather than get too carried away discussing Cat building, I would suggest that you look at
http://webpages.charter.net/cschott/boat/supercat.html for more information.
Racing Your Boat:
The object is to get the boat from one end of the raingutter to the other, not to blow so hard that the boat tips over or becomes overpowered. Consistent gentle blowing can be more effective than huge puffs of air. Also, be sure that you don’t touch your boat. This can lead to disqualification.
Enjoy your Raingutter Regatta!
A pizza party will be awarded to the den whose member wins each class. Certificates will also be awarded for the most original design, best paint job and best decoration.
Raingutter Regatta Boat Specifications:
Hull: No longer than 7" or shorter than 6 1/2"
Mast: 6 1/2" from deck to top
Keel: Supplied in kit
Rudder: Supplied in kit
Sail: Supplied in kit
Building your boat:
First, all parts of the boat (excluding paint and decoration) must be from the Pack provided kit. Use a small hand saw to get a rough outline and then use sandpaper to finalize the shape (60-100 grit paper will do the rough shaping, 150-220 grit will smooth out the finish.
Once you have completed smoothing your boat, you will want to paint. Primer is a good bet, as it will seal the wood and make for a smoother paint finish. After the primer, finish with a good quality WATERPROOF paint, such as enamel. Spray paint makes the job go pretty quick.
Monohulls:
Follow the kit directions for building a monohull. Steps include mounting the keel and rudder (prior to painting) and mounting the mast and sail. A “crazy glue” type product is great for this, with the “thick” variety working better than the “thin”. Make sure the keel and rudder are mounted strait to the boat. Also, make sure that the sail is glued to the mast where the mast passes through the sail. Omitting this step will cause the sail to “spin” on the mast, without much motive force being supplied to the boat (if you have a hot glue gun, use it here).
There are a variety of sites on the web that discuss building Raingutter Regatta boats. One site with good general “how to” information is from Pack 230 in Wilmington, DE. They can be found at http:// www.cubscoutpack230.org/indexrain.asp
Cats:
As noted above, Cats are much more difficult to build that their single hulled counterparts, but also much faster. There has been a lot of debate about the “legality” of cats, but there appears to be no rules against this hull configuration.
In general, building a Cat will entail splitting the kit provided hull down the middle to create two hulls. These get glued together with scraps from the kit hull and the sail gets glued directly to the hull, with no mast.
Rather than get too carried away discussing Cat building, I would suggest that you look at
http://webpages.charter.net/cschott/boat/supercat.html for more information.
Racing Your Boat:
The object is to get the boat from one end of the raingutter to the other, not to blow so hard that the boat tips over or becomes overpowered. Consistent gentle blowing can be more effective than huge puffs of air. Also, be sure that you don’t touch your boat. This can lead to disqualification.
Enjoy your Raingutter Regatta!