WHAT?
The Rivertown Revival Boat Regatta is a parade like no other!
It’s your opportunity to build a water-going craft, and then join other community
members in showing off your creation at Rivertown Revival, on Saturday, July
22nd, 2017.
Creativity is the keyword for this event as participants make boat-floats that
range from the functional to the funky, and from the aesthetic to the absurd. No
design is out of bounds as long as it will float safely and not leave a stream of bits
and pieces in its wake.
At the appointed time, the musical stages on the Revival’s festival grounds will go
quiet, and all eyes will turn towards the water to take in the colorful pageantry of
the Revival Boat Regatta as it passes alongside the peninsula. The diverse set of
water-bound creations will be viewed with a mix of adulation, curiosity and
wonder…and perhaps a healthy touch of skepticism.
Viewers and festival goers will be invited to vote for their favorite Revival Boat,
while the fastest participants in the regatta will race a looped course to see who
has the speediest of the day’s crafts.
Winners and prizes will be announced from the main stage a couple of hours after
the Regatta ends.
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WHY?
To Create!
The Revival Boat Regatta offers builders a chance to:
Engage their community spirit through participation,
open the valves wide to let their creative juices flow, and
celebrate this unique slough that we call home through an unabashed, playful
romp on the water.
To Play!
At the end of the day, the Rivertown Revival is all about celebrating the unique
history and ecology of the Petaluma River as well as creating a focal point for our
community to come together and take a look at itself in the funhouse mirror.
To Connect!
You might consider creating a Neighborhood-Boat constructed by a group of
neighbors, or grab a long-time friend and build a Bestie-Boat in honor of the
lasting friendship you share. School age children could build a School-friends Boat
that would fly the flag of their school. And of course, a Family-Boat would be a
great way to show off just how amazing your gene pool really is!
To build your team and brand!
Corporate teams can benefit in the many ways above, in addition to showing off
their brand in a unique and positive context, creating an amazing team-building
opportunity through the construction of a Revival Boat, and competing for a highlevel sponsorship to be activated for the 2018 event!
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WHEN?
Here’s a sample timeline to help you plan your project, and know what to expect.
The sooner you start, the better, but you can always compress this timeline to get
‘er done!
Timeline
Week 1 – Fill out the online Revival Boat application and
round up your team
Week 2 – Start planning the construction of your Revival Boat and
acquiring your materials
Week 3 – Start construction of your craft
Week 4 – Finish boat enough to test it in a pool or the slough
Week 5 – Complete construction of you craft
Week 6 – Add paint, bells, whistles, streamers, kites & horns.
Week 7 – Get ready for transport and day-of launching
Regatta Day-Of Schedule
11-2:30 – Craft launching at Petaluma turning basin
3:00 – Parade past Rivertown Revival viewing area
3:20 – Non-racers moor to temporary docks at RR
3:30 – Races for Fastest in the Slough
5:00 – Awards announced at the main stage
6:30 – Art Boats return to turning basin and removal from water
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WHO?
The Revival Boat Regatta is intended for the widest range of skill levels. There will
be those with a lifetime of building under their belts, and those who don’t
“speak” Hammer and Saw. All are welcome to enter, and we are offering basic
support so that you can participate, regardless of your ability!
Entry level
We have a limited number of pre-made skiffs that will comfortably hold 2 people,
and can be painted, decorated, and dressed up to your liking. These can’t
accommodate much “structure-enhancement”, and are intended for the entry
level builder looking to decorate, costume and have a great day on the water.
Intermediate
We’ve engineered a couple of simple designs that can be used as bases, and can
be modified depending on the builder’s aspirations. The floatation and sturdiness
have been water-tested, the supply list is simple and inexpensive, and the
construction is relatively easy with just a few common tools.
Advanced
If you’re a builder that likes to flex your creative muscles, then the sky’s the limit,
and we just want to help get you pointed in the right direction! We’re happy to
answer any questions you have, but at this level you probably know exactly what
you want and how to get it!
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Rules?
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Safety
All crew members under 16 must wear a life vest.
Each boat Captain must be 18 or older.
All boats must have a safety rope tied to the vessel for mooring to a dock or
rescuing an accidental swimmer.
All materials must be safe for the slough’s health. No chemicals, clothing,
building materials or other bits & pieces should fall off your boat and into
the water.
Race Categories
Regardless of the type of boat you build, you are automatically entered in
the Artistic Review. Boats will be judged by voting festival goers and a 3person panel.
Corporate teams compete against one another in their own category of the
Artistic Review.
When you fill out your application, you can elect to also participate in the
Race Around the Slough. There will be several heats depending on how
many entrants there are, and times will be collected and compared.
No gasoline engines are allowed in any category.
Prizes
• Individual & Team Art Review – 1st Place – $500
• Corporate Team Art Review – 1st Place – 2018 RR Sponsorship
($5000 value includes all “Commodore Sponsorship” benefits)
• Race Around the Slough – Fastest Time – $500
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HOW?
No matter what kind of builder you are, we offer a Revival Boat Floatline, so you
can get answers to the burning engineering questions you have about assembling
your craft and getting it in the water! We’d be happy to talk through any ideas
you have or help solve any specific challenges you’re facing.
If you’d like to take some of the guess work out of engineering a slough worthy
craft, you can follow (or adapt) one of the sets of simple plans we make available
on our website:
www.rivertownrevival.com/revivalboats
There you’ll find a materials list, photos and step-by-step instructions for how to
layout and assemble your own Revival Boat like the 1 person model pictured on
page 7!
We’ve built these boats and water tested them, so we know that they can be
constructed and water ready in a weekend. Once you have all the materials
together, all you need is a basic set of tools and an icy beverage by your side. Of
course, the help of a friend will make light work of the whole project!
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HOW?
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Hmmm…
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Hmmm…
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Facts & Figures
Flotation
Need to calculate how much floatation you’ll need to float your boat?
• 1 cubic foot of air floats 60 pounds of weight.
• A five-gallon bucket is almost exactly 1 cf of air.
• A 27-gallon storage bin is a little under 4 cf and will float about 250 pounds
of weight.
• We highly recommend that you use AT LEAST 30% more floatation than you
think you’ll need.
Weight
Want to make some estimates about how much your craft will weigh?
• 1 pallet weighs approximately 50 lbs
• 2 x 4 lumber weighs about 1.625 lbs / foot
• 2 x 6 lumber weighs about 2 lbs / foot
• 2 x 8 lumber weighs about 2.64 lbs / foot
• Everything will weigh more when it’s wet…including you!
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Materials & Costs
Cost
• You can buy heavy duty, 27-gallon storage bins at Friedman’s (or other
home improvement stores) for about $12 each.
• You can buy 5 gallon buckets for about $3.25 each. This works out to about
$.07 per pound of floatation.
• Pallets make great platforms and we can help you source those for free if
you have trouble locating what you need.
• Truck inner tubes can be purchased for $5 to $25, and large tractor tubes
can cost anywhere from $40 to $75
• Of course, we recommend using as many recycled and reused materials as
possible for things like seats, railings, decorations and any other trimming
or customization you might dream up. Everything use out of your shed or
garage , is less money out of your pocket!
• The materials to build the 1-2 person boat shown earlier will cost about
$150. The 2-3 person boat will cost about $180.
• If you want to upscale the design a bit, for an additional $50 you can use
3/4 inch plywood for the deck, tails and wings. Not only will this add a nice
smooth surface to stand on, but it offers some nice design options in
cutting the tail and wings into cool shapes.
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IDEAS?
Create a Golf Revival Boat made from two separate floats, where you use a golf
club to chip from one boat to the other.
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Create a Bridge Revival Boat made from two separate floats that are connected by
a bridge like structure.
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Create a Chess Board Revival Boat where the platform is a giant checkerboard.
Dress it up by using large plastic pieces in a ridiculous motif.
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Create a Naturalist Revival Boat, complete with live grass, stuffed or plastic
animals, and signs with fascinating animal facts.
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Create a Labyrinth Revival Boat where you drill a series of large holes into the
surface platform of the boat, and then attempt to move a ball around a course on
the surface using your shifting weight on the boat.
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Create a Swing Revival Boat by attaching a single swing on chains to an A-frame,
attached to a wide floating platform. This idea could be extended to any play yard
equipment: a slide, a merry-go-round, etc.
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Anything bicycle powered!
Go crazy!
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