New Derby Track

[Fehler 118]

So, our Pack is losing our PWD Track provider. We had previously hired a guy from another Pack to bring in their track and run our race for us (and he replaced an even older guy who did the same thing for us for the number of years). Trying to talk to our neighbor Pack, and they won't commit to helping us (we've butted heads over recruiting/fundraising "territory" in the past) right now. So I'm looking at options.

 

Anyone buy a new track in the last few years? And how did you finance it, one big, special fundraiser? Or did you borrow/payback the costs? I figure the cost of a bare-bones track (with the finish-line timer mechanism) would be paid back after 6/7 years, considering what we were paying to hire the track.

 

I need to check with the Troop to ensure there's a place to store this monstrosity, should we buy it.

 

Any other considerations for purchasing the track? Insurance? Starting our own "hire service"?

[King Ding Dong 540]

Storage of the track can be a real issue for some packs. My old pack just used a hire service and it worked out really well. We got to use a different track every year. I think it was only about $150-200. Lets the "scouts" focus more on building their cars.

[Tampa Turtle 1011]

We bought our own (about 2K -all metal) but storage would run us $40 a month accept our Cubmaster has space in a storage unit.

[Sidney Porter 104]

We have a AL track that we purchased last year to replace an old wooden one. The AL ones are nice with the electronics and projectors and such but it is a big expense for 1 day a year.

 

I would look at something like this (I am not affliated with the seller nor have I ever used the track)

http://www.pinewoodderbycars.com/Pinewood-Derby-Track-Kit-p/pd-900.htm

http://www.pinewoodderbycars.com/Pinewood-Derby-Drag-Strip-p/pd-902.htm

 

I would not borrower money to pay for a track over 6 to 7 years. That was only used 6 or 7 days. If you look at return on investment based upon the amount of usage it gets an expensive track does not seem like a great investment.

 

The digital timer is nice. But the scouts seem just as happy with the judge at the end calling out first, 2nd, 3rd. If you do the elimination method they really only need to ID which car came in last. We did this one year and I think there was only one race that was too close to call.

 

That being said the other beneift of the AL is storage. The wood ones you wwant to make shure they are in a dry environment.

[mashmaster 783]

We bought a new metal track this year and share it between three packs. Luckily our charter org gives us a small storage space.

[RememberSchiff 3662]

Over the years I have often wished that Council owned, stored, and rented the PWD track. Maybe have OA setup track (instead of selling candy bars!!!!). A win-win? We have no space to store and piggyback on those packs with a track.

 

Seems odd that we have a mindset to regionalize schools and other public services but our pack has to have its own track! (BTW, I disagree with the former)

 

My $0.02

[SSScout 1615]

Check with your District Commissioner/ Unit Commissioner/ District Exec. In our District (fairly urban), some Packs own a track and "rent " it to other Packs, and we have a Troop that will hire out (fund raiser for them) to Packs to provide a track, run the day and festivities (decorations, check in and registration, lively patter, computer projection of standings and results, the whole shebang). Both possibilities. Maybe YOUR Pack might buy the track with the idea of sharing it with other Packs? Do you have a partner Troop? Perhaps the Troop might work with you for the event or to work with other Packs. Good recruiting, lively Boy Scouts officiating at the PWD!

And then, when you have some experience staging a good Pack event, offer to schedule a District event?

[Tampa Turtle 1011]

We used to share a track but some folks just don't take good care of it. When we went to the electronic score keeping it was a lot easier but took a lot of the fun out of it IMHO.

[jc2008 25]

We are also buying a new track this summer. We are a first year pack and we borrowed a track from a pack across town for our derby this year. We also run the district derby so we used that same track for that. But we did really well with our camp card fundraiser so now we have enough money to buy a pack track and we decided on the 4 lane 42ft Best Track + a microwizard timer. Its going to run just under $1500 for the entire setup.

 

We plan to use the track 3-4 times a year including the fall which is why we are getting it this summer.

 

If you do not need your track until the spring time, like normal, figure out how much its going to cost and set a fundraiser goal. I would find out the entire cost, ie track costs $800-1100 + timer costs 300-400$ and set the goal for the entire amount.

 

Then if you only make $800 of what your goal was just buy the track this year and fundraise for the timer next year etc.

 

I wouldn't do any sort of loan or pay over several years. If you are going to do that you need to SAVE for several years then buy, not buy then pay over several years.

 

[qwazse 4342]

We bought our own (about 2K -all metal) but storage would run us $40 a month accept our Cubmaster has space in a storage unit.

 

Not picking on TT, specifically, but after six post just like this, I gotta say ..

ARE YOU PEOPLE NUTS???

 

Send my crew your $2K. For 1/4 of that, they'll make one out of scrap (metal or lumber, what's the difference?), store it at our CO and ship it to you a week before the race. Heck, some of them would probably deliver, assemble, and train local scouts judge heats and run brackets on a will-work-for-food basis. You can trust them to put the remaining $1.5k to good use.

 

'Fraid your committee will look at you funny when you tell 'em someone on the internet is giving you the deal of a lifetime? Fine, make that offer to any troop or crew in your area. There's bound to be someone who would see the benefit of doing something like this.

[Sidney Porter 104]

 

We plan to use the track 3-4 times a year including the fall which is why we are getting it this summer.

 

 

So you will use it for pinewood derby maybe a recruitment night. What else do you use it for?

 

[blw2 433]

We have one of those yellow plastic tracks (derby magic)

Bought it before my time, but I think it was a donation form a wealthy parent at the time.

It's not without flaws, but I like it well enough and it's very light and easy to manage.

My son raced the council race and it was on one of those metal tracks. I didn't like it nearly as well.

 

You don't say how big your pack is, but for my money I would get a few dads together and build one.,,,, unless you have a mega huge pack and need many lanes and a well designed system. the old fashioned homemade wooded tracks work just fine.

 

I made a 16ft test lane for my son a few years back. Splurged at lowes and bought some of that PVC trim lumber. I made a single lane

used a 1x4 (or maybe it was a 1x6) with some matching PVC lattice strips as a lane guide, face screwed and glued with plumbing PVC solvent. But jointed two 8ft lengths of this together with a couple pocket screws, and overlapped the lattice so that the lattice joint didn't fall on top of the 1x joint. It would be super easy to expand it to multiple lanes and make it long enough for racing. I just elevated one end but a support stand wouldn't be all that complicated either.

 

A starting gate would be easy enough to make too, even if you were going to incorporate a limit switch for a store bought timer.

 

I've gotta say that the timer and software is very nice. I would say for a smaller pack... like maybe 20 boys or less it's not likely worth it though. As someone else suggested, a lane judge works fine, but the software is nice so you don't have manually work your ladders to make sure every car runs on every lane.

 

So, my 2 cents.... homemade is fine, if you don't have extra money you don't need store bought!... and if your pack is of any size, I'd spend money first on the timer and software and add it to a homemade track. Then, if I still had money I'd look at store bought tracks.....

[Sidney Porter 104]

The software is nice and it will make a faster day. Each scout runs one time on each lane and you go with total time. It is probably the most fair way. For a lar4ge pack I think you need to run it this way or it becomes a all day event.

 

That being said the scouts enjoy the double or triple elimination method where if you come in last place 2 or 3 times in you heat you are eliminated. I don't think it is as acurate but it is easier for the young scouts to understand the process. It saves on the the cost of the track.

 

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[jc2008 25]

So you will use it for pinewood derby maybe a recruitment night. What else do you use it for?

 

Recruitment event in the fall

Pinewood in the Spring

District Pinewood

 

and we are trying to expand our horizons to council pinewood next year

 

If you fundraise all $1500 is not such a great big deal to spend. Our pack sold around 10k worth of camp cards (50% to pack, 50% to council) and we got about $3k in donations at the show and sell locations (100% to the pack). Paid for all the kids to go to cub scout summer camp, paid for the start of our program next year, paying for the kids to go rock climbing, skating, bowling, picnic and a bunch of other things and still have plenty of leftover money to get the nice 4 lane aluminum track and timer. We are very frugal with events so our money goes a long way and this is the one big splurge.

 

 

EDIT: The reason we are spending so much is because we can afford it and the kids did a great job fundraising, had participation of 28 kids out of 30. If you do not have such big numbers look into the smaller tracks or building a track. The event is fun for the kids no matter how they have to run it. We want to do more official things and our parents enjoyed helping us run the District Derby so we wanted a nicer track.