Our November Pack meeting is traditionally our Raingutter Regatta, but this year there is a twist.We will not be using the pre-fabricated kits. Instead, each scout will have to put their STEM hats on and arrive at the meeting with a boat made out of recycled materials. The rules are below, but the main idea is that you use what you have around the house that is either recyclable or made from recycled materials to construct a boat or raft that can ‘sail’ down our rain gutters. For those of you that have not participated in the past, the boats are Scout powered, meaning each boat must have a sail and the Scouts will blow the craft down the rain gutter using their own lung power. The first one to the end of the gutter will win that heat.

This year, we will also have voting on all of the submitted crafts. The categories are: Fastest Looking, Most Pirate Like, Most unlike a boat, Funniest and Most Colorful.

Boat Specifications:

1.       Boats must be made from recycled, recyclable or biodegradable materials (a list of suggested items can be found below). Please test your boat before bringing it that night. Duct Tape and glue are acceptable to hold things together.

2.       The boat must be no longer than 8” and no shorter than 6 ½”.

3.       The boat must be no wider than 3-1/4” to ensure they fit within the rain gutters.

4.       No other form of propulsion besides the sail is allowed.

5.       Decorations such as sailors, cannons, Lego figures, etc. may be added as long as they are firmly fastened to the boat.

Inspection and Registration:

1.       Prior to inspection and registration you may take a practice run.

2.       Each boat must pass an inspection and be registered before it may compete.

3.       Please allow yourself time to pass inspection and make any small adjustments as needed before registration cut-off.

 

If you have any questions about this, or while you are building your boats, please ask. Remember to have fun with this. I’m excited to see what our scouts will create this year.

 

Recyclable Material Ideas:

Hulls: juice boxes, slabs of foam insulation, 8-ounce water bottles, 20-ounce soda bottles, Capri Sun pouches, Popsicle sticks (to create a raft design)

Masts: straws, skewers, small dowels, pencils

Sails: construction paper, index cards, cut-up cereal boxes, small chip bags, Capri Sun pouches

Try to stay away from: newsprint and other materials that can get waterlogged, and thick pieces of foam, which stick to the gutters and make a mess when broken.

 

Parents, we will need a lot of help for this evening running registration, ensuring scouts get to their starting lines on time, and keeping the scouts not racing involved in some of the other activities we have planned. Look for a sign-up genius in the next few days with some of those positions we need help with.