What is a Beaver Buggy, you ask? ...........it's kind of like a kub-kar, but without all of the pressure. When you first see it, it will be a mere block of wood, with some nails and wheels. Your Beaver (with your help) will turn these crude materials, into an awesome racing mobile. On February 5th, we will have a giant set of tracks setup in in our gym, and we'll be racing Buggies all evening. Not long after that, our white tails will be invited to join in with a local Cub pack, to race their buggies with Kub-Kar's. Fun!
There is no pressure, and even lower expectations - but |I wanted to post this now to get the creative juices flowing. Construction sometimes involves some woodworking, crafting, and painting. Construction always involves some work from home and a bit of grown up help. There are no bad ideas when it comes to Beaver Buggies.
To get us all thinking about these, I found these 'Rules' online (Thank you 3rd Capilano Beavers way out in BC) .........We here at 1st Manotick A Colony are not sticklers for rules so these will be loosely enforced, but they do provide a good guide to help you plan.
1. The buggy must be constructed from the official Scouts Canada Beaver Buggy kit.
2. Beaver Buggies are built to have fun. There are no winners or losers in Beaver Buggy racing. Beavers (with the help of their parents) are encouraged to let their imaginations run wild; buggies can be made into cars, planes, trucks, bikes, or anything that a Beaver can imagine.
3. Track design limits the overall width to a maximum dimension of 7 cm (2-3/4 inch) so as not to interfere with the Buggy in the next lane. Nose of the Beaver must not extend past the deck of the Beaver Buggy base.
4. The weight of the buggy must not exceed 142g (5 oz). All cars will be weighed on race day and material may be removed on cars that are overweight at the Official’s discretion.
5. Only dry graphite is allowed for lubricating the wheels. No oils or spray lubricant are allowed. At the Show and Race venue, graphite can only be applied before the race and only at the Tech table.
Tips
1. Check the axles for the proper fit in the wheels. Some axles are larger and fit better in different wheels.
2. Remove burrs on the axle to make the wheels run smoother. Fine sand paper or rubbing compound works well.
3. Remove flashing or bumps from the wheels with fine sand paper.
4. Install the axles reasonably straight. Some kits don’t have the axle grooves cut square to the side of the body. If the wheels are not straight, the buggy will pull to the side and rub on the track guides, slowing it down.
5. Add weight (coins work well) up to the allowable limit. A beaver buggy weighs 70-80 grams out of the box, and some may not reach the end of the track. If little or no additional weight is added during decoration, it is recommended that 10 pennies (about 24g) be added to the buggy. Weight added to the bottom of the buggy must be recessed as to not touch the track.
6. Modifications to the bottom of the buggies are not recommended. The cars run on rails down the tracks, and ground clearance is required.
