How to Make a Plywood Regatta

A plywood regatta is generally a two-day event for children that often raises money for charity while giving aspiring boat designers and builders the chance to quickly create a boat in which they can race. Other participants in some sponsored regattas are businesses that use the two-day exercise as a team-building event. The rules are that on the first day, entrants plan, design, and build a boat from plywood as their entry in the next day’s boat race. Since taking a boat design plan into the regatta building area is not allowed, make sure that you have some design scheme already memorized to give you a form from which to work. It’s then up to the team’s imagination how to use the materials and its own determination to create a seaworthy craft for the race.

Things You'll Need

  • Paper
  • Carpenter’s pencil
  • Cardboard
  • Scissors
  • Masking Tape
  • Glue
  • Three 4-by-8-foot sheets of ¼-inch plywood
  • Two 8 foot 2-by-2-inch of ¼-inch plywood
  • One 10 foot 1-by-1 ¼-inch plywood
  • Saw or jigsaw
  • Cable ties
  • 12 tubes of glue, such as 3M5200
  • Sandpaper (optional)
  • Paint (optional)
  • Paintbrushes (optional)
  • Swim noodles (optional)
  • Safety goggles (optional)
  • Latex gloves (optional)
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Instructions

    • 1
      Anyone can race, as long as the boat is built in a day.

      Draw a scale plan of the boat you will be making and then transfer the drawing onto the cardboard. Make two sets of these. Since plywood regatta rules don’t allow you to bring in plans ahead of time, research the plans so that you have an idea of the measurements and pieces that you will need to create a boat in which you can race.

    • 2

      Cut out the two sets of cardboard. Assemble one set into a flat-bottomed boat prototype. This prototype provides you with a three-dimensional representation of what the final boat will look like. This will make it easier for you to see what the finished product will look like and make any adjustments to make sure that all the pieces fit together properly.

    • 3

      Make any adjustments to the second set of cardboard cutouts. Tape all the pieces onto the different pieces of plywood. Trace the edges of the cardboard onto the plywood using the carpenter’s pencil.

    • 4

      Cut the plywood along the pattern marks on the wood using the jigsaw or hand saw. Use one piece of 4-by-8-foot plywood as the base of the boat. Cut the plywood into an oval by trimming the sides of the plywood so that it is 3 feet wide in the middle and 7 feet long.

    • 5

      Use the second 4-by-8 piece of plywood for the sides, oar paddle blades, fore and aft seats and stand. Trace each piece and cut out. Sides should be 11 inches tall and 8 feet long. The two seats should be 3 feet wide. Bore three holes in the stern and aft pieces on each piece of plywood. Pull the stern section together, glue the edges and tie together with cable ties securely.

    • 6

      Glue the seats tops and bottoms together so that the top is perpendicular to the bottom. Set the seats one-third the distance from the stern and one-third the distance from the aft. Draw the bow together surrounding the seat area. Glue the seats to the sides of the boat (upside down, so that the stand will be secured to the bottom) and secure the bow with the glue and cable ties.

    • 7

      Place the bottom of the boat onto the glued sides. Glue the sides and seat base to the bottom of the boat, then stick together. Cut and glue the 10-foot section of plywood onto the bottom of the boat. Using long cable ties, secure the boat together until the glue is dry. Sand the boat so the sides are smooth.

    • 8

      Make the oars from the two pieces of 8-foot, 2-by-2-inch plywood by attaching the paddles that you cut out of the plywood with glue. Bind these also with cable ties and let the glue dry. Sand these down extra smooth so you don't get splinters when you use them.

    • 9

      Paint the outside of the boat if you have time. For added flotation, and if they are available, add the swim noodles to the sides. Now let everything dry and, before the race, remove the cable ties and you have your plywood regatta boat ready to race.