Whitianga's bathtub racing fraternity are making their way to Waihi Beach today to race their tubs tomorrow in 15th annual Bathtub Regatta at Bowentown.

Among bathtubs and outboard motors being polished and fined-tuned ahead of the Saturday, February 14 event is Whitianga's international bathtub racer John Booker's.

John Booker working on one his tubs. Photo: Julie Chadwick, Nanaimo Daily News.

Organiser Evan Walker says the Bathtub racing fraternity is has competitors hailing from Whitianga, Hamilton, Auckland and maybe even the Bay of Islands.

'There will be people from all round the place, including Whitianga's John Booker.”

Evan says the boats get up to 50-plus km/h. 'So they're going pretty fast for a bathtub.”

This year's final race, with five laps, is upping the ante – offering a 15hp open class of high-powered bathtub racing.

'What we've introduced the 15hp class – the first time in New Zealand – and they go a bit faster.”

And before this, four races of five laps will see eight horsepower engines push bathtubs and their skippers across the water for boat points.

Evan says the course is from Bowentown Boating and Sport Fishing Club around markers and back to the club – offering plenty of thrills, spills and splutters for onlookers on the water's edge.

'It's a fun event but people do score points and they go towards a championship heel dint the Bay of Islands,” says Evan.

He says at least 15 boats will race tomorrow, maybe a few more.

'The boat actually gets the points, so you can have multiple drivers.

'What we're trying to do is give the people who've made the effort to build boats as many races as they can enter – so people can race as many times as they want.”

Evan admits he hasn't raced a bathtub yet, instead focusing on running the event, but says the appeal in the sport has grown.

'It really started off as a novelty, where people strapped a motor to a bath and went from Athenree to Waihi Beach – so they were pretty prehistoric-looking bathtubs back then.”

'But the sport has grown, and like any sport, people have developed it – and the bathtubs are starting to get pretty high-tech.”

Check in for race day on February 14 opens 10am, with scrutineering from 11am-12.30pm. A practice runs ends 1.15pm, with a pre-race safety meeting 1.30pm and racing starting 2pm.

Evan says the boat club's bar will be open, with entertainment and live music during and after the racing.

For more information, call Evan on 0274 526 104 or email: [email protected]