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The SMUD Solar Regatta is a nation wide event where schools, universities, and engineering companies compete in a solar powered boat race. The competition is held annually at Rancho Seco Recreational Area and features multiple events that test the limits of the solar boats' capabilities.
This is our award winning video that showed the progress of our 2017 boat compared to the 2016 version:
Also shamelessly copied from the SMUD Solar Regatta 2016 page.
For more information about the competition, check out this link.
The second year at the competition can be considered the "revenge" attempt due to the outcome from the last event. What resulted is possibly something that no one in the club would have predicted:
6 trophies (one is a plaque sitting in front of the giant check). Even the judges agreed, because one of those trophies was for Most Improved design.
Boat Design
In contrast to the boat construction last year, this year had one very particular goal in mind: a much lighter boat (that would hopefully still float on water). The boat last year weighed approximately ~200lbs, taking possibly 6+ people just to lift it. This year's boat, partially due to being mostly stripped of its wooden frame and replaced with the much lighter and still sturdy bamboo, can easily be lifted up by 4 people, with a weight of roughly half last year's model. It still floats.
Boat chassis, no solar panel. Compare to SMUD Solar Regatta 2016's boat design.
Partially finished boat's top. Battery pack and unattached control panel for the boat attached. Pilot's seat not included. Nor needed.
Mostly finished product at Rancho Seco, the day before the race. It's rather hard to see from the front, but the rudders were not attached to the boat. No party lights this year, because someone forgot to bring them.
Mueller Enterprises CEO chilling onboard the boat as the rudder is being attached. Little does the CEO realize that he is about to be billed later...
It floats, AND it runs! How else did the entire club manage to escape being shipwrecked off a sad excuse of an island in the Pacific Ocean? It IS called the SS Minnow for a reason.
The weather was actually pretty cloudy, so the solar panels did not work at full capacity. An unfortunate downside to solar energy. It mostly cleared up towards late afternoon, though.
Sprint Racing
Endurance Racing
Don't worry, Mueller Enterprises was billed for this incident after the race.
After the race
And of course, everyone gets a ride on the boat. Including the driver, who can finally go on a pleasure cruise without getting screamed at all day.
Overall, the boat was a tremendous improvement over last year's. Even so, there are still improvements and changes that can be done to the boat.
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