How to Build a Rain Gutter Regatta
The Rain Gutter Regatta is a model boat race performed in Cub Scouting packs. Boys build small boats with sails, then race them. They blow in the sails to make the boats move, and the first boy to blow his boat to the end of the course wins. As the name implies, rain gutters are used to make the regatta course. Courses usually have two gutters so that two boys race at a time.
Things You'll Need
- Sawhorses
- Wood blocks
- Nails
- Hammer
- Rain gutters
- Gutter end caps
- Aquarium glue
- Level
- Shims
Instructions
-
-
1
Nail a 2-inch by 2-inch wood block to one end of the top crossbar of one sawhorse. Nail a second block on the crossbar 5 inches away from the first one. Nail a third block to the same crossbar but on the opposite end, then nail the fourth block 5 inches from the third one. Repeat on the second sawhorse.
-
2
Place a gutter end cap on each end of two 10-foot-long, 5-inch-diameter, lip-less rain gutters. Use metal or plastic gutters, as desired.
-
-
3
Seal the joint between the end caps and the gutter with aquarium glue. Fill the gutters with water and check for leaks around the end caps. Empty and dry the gutter if there are leaks and reseal the area as needed.
-
4
Place the sawhorses 8 feet apart. Set the rain gutters on top of the sawhorses, placing them between the wooden blocks on each so they do not shift.
-
5
Set a level inside each gutter. Place wooden shims under the sawhorses as necessary until both gutters are level.
-
6
Fill the rain gutters with water up to just beneath the rim of each gutter. Set the boats in one end of each gutter and have the boys race them to the opposite end.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Use 5-inch-diameter PVC pipe sawed in half lengthwise if lip-less gutters aren't available. Lipped gutters tend to snag the boats and slow down the race.
Many Cub Scout packs require you to use the official BSA Regatta boat kit, which is available at Scout shops.
References
- Photo Credit Model boats image by TekinT from Fotolia.com
