Events > April Tools > 2015
April Tools 2015: Stand or Sink
recap & Media Gallery
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April 25, 2015 Update: And the winner is...
Materials included 4 sheets of doorskin, some 1X4s and some 1X2s, a single 2X2, some screws and nails, a couple of tubes of construction adhesive, a roll of red Tuck tape and a couple of corks. You might think that this would have resulted in a lot of sinkings, but in fact, all the boards floated and only 1 team’s boat couldn’t support the paddler’s weight. Pretty impressive! Paddleboarding skills obviously differed among the teams, but everyone crossed the finish line including the team whose stand-up position looked an awful lot like lying down. There were some close contests, but the Final came with some familiar names among the winners... The Fireflies placed First taking the $700 prize, followed by Bud 1 in Second at $400, with strong Third from the Gunboat Bay Challengers at $250. The Spiffy Skiffy trophy was given to the ever good-looking Squampton Four, and that team with the lying down standup paddleboarder, the Paddle Wackers, went home with the Broken Paddle award for perseverance in the face of adversity. Alex Phillips and Cypher Clerx made a strong finish in The Youth Trophy Race as Pender Harbour’s Camo Crusaders. The Fun Race had numerous forced sinkings, everyone ended up soaked, and some members of Mee Doo definitely did not finish the race in the same boat they started in. Kids hammered at miniboats 'til all the materials except a few corks remained, and even little kids got into the act with foam hulls and stick-on decorations. Remarkably, the sun shone throughout and almost everyone went home with a little colour in their cheeks. A big shout out to all the sponsors and volunteers—you’re the best! Check out the photo gallery. Here are the official standings: ADULT RACES (pdf download) YOUTH RACES (pdf download) See you next year in April 2016! |
Photo Galleries
10am-2pm: Building & Activities
2pm: Adult & Youth Races
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Thank you to our 2015 sponsors!
April 14, 2015 Update: Registration is now full!
We've got 14 adult teams registered for boat building this year and that's our max! All we need now is some nice weather and some great spectators to cheer them around the course. Here's what event day looks like: All day: Activities for kids, food, and fun! 10 am: The twist is revealed 11 am: Boat building starts 2 pm: Hammers down, boat building ends 2:01 pm: Youth races start 2:45-ish pm: Adult races start See you at Millennium Park on April 25! April 2, 2015 Update: Just 3 weeks to go!
The sponsors are confirmed (please see below - we couldn't do it without them!), the materials are purchased, and the details are just about finalized for the 14th Annual April Tools Wooden Boat Challenge on Saturday, April 25, 2015. We've got 9 adult teams registered and are capping the number of entrants at 14 teams, so get your team registration in asap! No squeaking a team in at the last minute! (Garden Bay Firefighters -- we're looking at you!) The Pender Harbour High School teams are sawing, drilling, and gluing feverishly at this very minute as they prepare for a repeat battle against recent down-coast newcomers to the races, including a team from Chatelech High School and a team from the ACE-It Carpentry program, which scooped the trophy last year. Will one of our local Pender Harbour High School teams be able to win back the trophy or will Ace-It keep the winner's title for a second year in a row? Be sure to join us at 2 pm on April 25 to see what happens! And after the races, head over to the Pender Harbour Legion (12829 Lilies Lake Road, Madeira Park) for a Chinese Dinner Buffet. Entertainment by “Apasionado”, Lori Carmichael & Randy Rayment. Doors open 5:30 pm, Dinner 6:00 pm. Tickets available at Harbour Insurance & the Legion: $25/person. Open to the public. Non-members welcome! See you in 3 weeks! - The April Tools Committee April 2, 2015  Last year's twist: paddlers were blindfolded. Navigators shouted directions but were not allowed to help steer or paddle.
January 2015 Update: What’ll They Think of Next…
The end of the holiday season is here and the April Tools Wooden Boat Challenge committee is ready to meet to answer that question. The materials list and ‘twist’ for 2015 won’t be revealed, of course, until 10AM on April 25, 2015. Then, boatbuilders will gather to get the bad news, think for an hour, and begin their 3-hour effort to create a boat that floats all the way around the course using only the materials provided, hand tools, and battery-powered screw guns. One thing that is likely, though---the ‘twist’ will be quirky and hopefully lots of fun. As ever, there will be much more to the day than just the adult competition. The crazy, wet high school races will have some Chatelech competitors this year, and that should add an interesting dynamic. In addition to the usual little kid boatbuilding hammerfest, we are adding a simpler boat building project and a separate floating pool for the really little guys. There will be more free kids’ activities, food, sweets and lots of community good times. Come join us and get your pals together to form a team. There’s prize money and trophies for the adults, a trophy and bags of goodies for the teens, and handmade boats for the kids to take home. How can you resist? The team entry form is below. Send it with your $160 entry fee ($140 if before April 1) to the address on the form. See you in April! - The April Tools Committee January 2015 |
