Fan Information

Track Information

Materials

The following materials are allowed:

• Recyclable materials such as cardboard boxes, plastic containers, jar lids and cartons.
• Stationery items such as paper clips, rubber bands, pencils, rulers and erasers.
• Common household items such as sponges, CDs, cotton buds, material off-cuts, aluminium foil, plastic wrap and plastic.
• Hardware items such as light timber off-cuts, screws, nails and sandpaper.

The following materials are NOT allowed:

• Construction materials such as Lego
• Pre-made materials such as pre-made wheels, yacht bodies or sails
• Toys such as toy cars, boats or trains

Design

All designs must be original - not copied from an existing design.

When designing, team members must not receive input or advice from anyone other than their team members. Team members may discuss their design with a teacher. During discussions, teachers must not offer direct advice. In order to challenge students to think carefully about their design, teachers may, however, ask questions such as:

• Why did you design the wheels or slides like that?
• Did you have any other ideas for the shape of the sail?

Design Plans are to be presented on paper and must show:

• measurements
• materials to be used
• connectives (how the materials will be connected together)
• top view, side view and front view

Accompanying their Design Plans, teams are to include paragraphs that describe:

• Why particular design elements were included
• Prediction of how far the yacht will travel on Race Day

Teams can upload information about their designs to the website and might also like to share their designs as an uploaded scanned or photographed image.

Construction

All construction is to take place at school and be supervised by a teacher.

Team members are responsible for the construction of their yachts and must not receive help from anyone outside of their team.

All cutting of materials, including timber off-cuts, is the responsibility of the team members and must be supervised by a teacher.

Power tools are not allowed.

If any constructions processes are deemed to be unsafe, the teacher must instruct team members to choose other methods of construction.

During construction, teams may decide that the design of their yacht needs to be altered. If this is the case, the alterations must be recorded on the Design Plan with an explanation as to why the changes were made.

Testing Rules

Teams will be given time to test their yachts three times before Race Day. Results will be entered in the time trial spaces online.

During testing, the teams will have access to the "race track".

Teams members are to record how far their yacht travels during testing. This information is to be posted on the website.

Teams may need to make adjustments to the yacht and the original Design Plan.

If this is the case, the adjustments must be recorded on the Design Plan with an explanation as to why the changes were made.

Racing Rules

On a day when the weather is pleasant and there is a good breeze blowing, the yachts can have their final race.

The yachts should to be raced one at a time and need to have the same starting point.

When called, teams are to place their yacht on the "race track" on the start line.

The teacher will signal the start of the race. At this time, whoever is holding the yacht steady will let the yacht go. All team members are to stand back but should cheer!

The yacht is not to be touched by any person while in motion.

When the yacht has stopped moving, the teacher is to measure how far the yacht travelled. This data is to be posted on the website.

The teacher is to signal when the team can remove their yacht from the race track.

Each race is to be filmed and posted on the website.