Rubber Band Boat Race


Objective:

  • To construct a urethane foil boat powered by rubber bands that traverses a distance of 6'4" in the shortest period of time.

    • Apparatus:

  • Each team must bring no less and no more than the following:
    A pair of scissors
    A stapler with staples
    Cutting tools appropriate for work on urethane foil (no power tools)
    One 8.5" by 11" piece of paper for notes/blueprints
    A pencil sharpener
  • We will supply the following:
    Two 4" by 8" sheets of 3/4" thick urethane foil
    One standard wooden pencil with flag attached
    Four 3.5" by 2.5" pieces of rigid cardboard each consisting of two playing cards glued together
    Two rubber bands each approximately 8" in circumference

    • No other materials except for staples may be part of the boat.

    Construction:

    1. The boat must be constructed during a ten minute period from the four materials supplied by each team and by us.
    2. An unlimited number of staples may be used.
    3. The urethane foil may be cut into any shape and as many pieces as desired.
    4. The boat must have a width of 4" at its widest point and a length of 8" at its longest point.
    5. The pencil may be modified or cut into pieces, but the flag must not be. The flag must be positioned such that its center is 4" from the water and it flies parallel to the direction of motion of the boat. This positioning is important as the flag is used in timing the boat.

      Racecourse: The course will consist of an 8'x3'x5" trough filled with water. The starting gate will be placed 10" from one end of the trough and the finish gate will be placed 10" from the other end.

    Scoring:

    1. The boat will be released by one member of the team from the end of the trough nearest the starting gate.
    2. The launcher must release the boat without providing it any force.
    3. The timer will start when the flag crosses the starting line and end when the flag crosses the finish line.
    4. The boat may hit the sides of the trough or take on water without disqualification, but all parts of the boat must finish together.
    5. The boat must remain in contact with the water at all times.
    6. The winning boat will be the one that finishes the course in the shortest time. In the event of a tie, another set of time trials will be run using the same boats to break the tie. No repairs or modifications will be allowed for re-trials.
  • Note: 4'x8'x3/4" sheets of urethane foil (housing insulation) are available at hardware stores and building supply stores.

    Below is a simplified diagram of an acceptable boat. However, this is only one of many possible configurations, and certainly not the most efficient!
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