Saturday afternoon was our first Tiger Cub scouting event. It was called the Rain Gutter Regatta, where you assemble a little boat and then race it down a rain gutter by blowing on it with a straw.Pete won first place in the Tiger Cub division. The best part was working on putting the boat together. A more sea-worthy vessel you will not find.
You can click on the photo below to see a video of one of Pete's races.
These are the secrets to constructing a lightning-fast and stable boat:
- move the keel back 3/4" behind the mast (do not follow the printed instructions)
- sail 1/2" abovethe hull
- keep sail as vertical as possible
- minimal sanding on lower area of hull
- ensure that sail is cemented to mast
- trim 1/4" from each side of the original sail
Considerations to test next year:
- staple the sail to the hull to eliminate all air variability
- consider removing the rudder altogether
- practice blowing from behind and not from side (especially start of race)
- focus on ignoring outside distractions, including status of opponent's boat
3 comments:
You realize his cousin won the same race within his scouting area. So i guess this proves all Grasso blood is full of hot air. Myself included.
congratulations Pete! the boat looks really good- I like the skull and crossbones and how you put "Pete" on it.
very cool too that scouts there has summer events. here scouting is only during school time.
Woo-hoo!! You go, boy! Joey found the same idea that blowing from behind and not to the side worked the best.
Their Pop-Pop would have been very proud.
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