From left to right, Edward Ruppel ’19, Seth Schaffer ’17, Matt Dombroski ’17, Ariane Hasbrouck ’19 work on their new Solar Splash boat, a custom design using cedar strip, in Hopeman Hall. (University photo / J. Adam Fenster)
What’s new about the Solar Splash boat this year? Everything.
As a result, the University of Rochester Solar Splash team will head to Springfield, Ohio, in early June confident they have a realistic shot at placing in competition against 15 other collegiate teams that have designed and built solar-powered electric boats.
“Everything on the boat is completely new,” says Solar Splash president Edward Ruppel ’17, a major in biomedical engineering. “We built an entirely new hull, and a new drive system from scratch; we’ve added brand new steering, new batteries, new battery management, and ship to shore communications.”
It’s the first year the team has entirely rebuilt its boat…