The raingutter regatta is a racing event for
Cub Scouts
Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with some Scouting, Scout organizations, for young children, usually between 8 and 12, who are too young to be Scouts and make the Scout Promise. A participant in the program is called a Cub and a gro ...
in the
Boy Scouts of America
Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...
that is the
sailboat
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture.
Types
Although sailboat terminology ...
equivalent of the
pinewood derby
The Pinewood Derby is the wood car racing event of the Cub Scout Program of the Scouting America. Pinewood derbies are often run by packs of the Cub Scouts program. With the help of adults, Cub Scouts build their own unpowered, unmanned minia ...
.
The sailboat kit consists of a seven-inch (178 mm) long
balsa wood
''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as balsa, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma'', and is classified in the subfamily Bombacoideae of the mallow family Malvaceae. The tree is f ...
hull, a -inch mast, plastic
sail
A sail is a tensile structure, which is made from fabric or other membrane materials, that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail-powered land vehicles. Sails may b ...
, plastic
rudder
A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...
, and metal
keel
The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...
. Within the basic design rules, Scouts are free to paint and decorate their sailboats as they choose. Modifications for speed include the placement of the keel and rudder and the size, shape and location of the sail. A
catamaran
A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a watercraft with two parallel hull (watercraft), hulls of equal size. The wide distance between a catamaran's hulls imparts stability through resistance to rolling and overturning; no ballast is requi ...
is an exceptionally fast design, although this modification is not allowed in all races.
Racing
The boats are raced in a standard
rain gutter
A rain gutter, eavestrough, eaves-shoot or surface water collection channel is a component of a water discharge system for a building. It is necessary to prevent water dripping or flowing off roofs in an uncontrolled manner for several reason ...
that is ten feet long, placed on a table or
saw horse
In woodworking, a saw-horse or sawhorse (saw-buck, trestle, buck) is a Trestle support, trestle structure used to support a lumber, board or plank (wood), plank for sawing. A pair of sawhorses can support a plank, forming a scaffold. In certa ...
s, and filled to the top with water. The boats are propelled by blowing on the sail, either directly or through a
drinking straw
A drinking straw is a List of eating utensils, utensil that uses suction to carry the contents of a beverage to one's mouth. A straw is used by placing one end in the mouth and the other in a beverage. By applying suction with the mouth, the air ...
; the boat cannot be touched with hands or the straw. The first boat to reach the end of the gutter is the winner. The overall winner is determined by an
elimination system.
Other races
Other youth groups have adopted the event for their programs under different names:
*
Pioneer Clubs: Sailboat Race
*
Awana Clubs: Awana Regatta, Sail On Night
*
Christian Service Brigade
Christian Service Brigade (CSB) (a.k.a. CSB Ministries) is a non-denominational Christian organization for men and boys in the United States and Canada. Often referred to as "Brigade," it is organized according to a model historically similar to ...
: Shape N Sail Derby
See also
*
Space derby
*
Kon-Tiki (Scouting)
Kon-Tiki refers to Scout and Guide raft building competitions held by Scouts South Africa and Scouts Australia. Named after Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki expedition of 1947, teams of Scouts and Guides age 11 to 17 compete to build and live on a raft f ...
*
Model yachting
Model yachting is the pastime of building and racing model yachts. It has always been customary for ship-builders to make a miniature model of the vessel under construction, which is in every respect a copy of the original on a small scale, wheth ...
*
Ship model
Ship models or model ships are scale models of ships. They can range in size from 1/6000 scale wargaming miniatures to large vessels capable of holding people.
Ship modeling is a craft as old as shipbuilding itself, stretching back to ancient ...
*
Radio-controlled boat
A radio-controlled boat is a boat or ship model controlled remotely with radio control equipment.
Type
Fun sport
Electric sport boats are the most common type of boat amongst casual hobbyists. Hobby-quality boat speed generally start at a ...
*
Bicycle rodeo
References
External links
Ship Model
Model boats
Boy Scouts of America
Scouting events
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