News of SOLAR SPLASH® 2009
Volume 17 - Number 2 - December 2008
Event Sponsors: ASME & IEEE/PELS with Johnson Controls Inc. as Prime Sponsor
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If you are planning to enter in 2009, drop us a note now (hq@solarsplash.com) so we can get the ‘contacts’ between us in place – and to get your team listed/linked on the website as preparing a boat for the 2009 Splash!
‘Early’ Entry Forms Due by Monday, January 19
You will find the Entry Form for the competition at the website. The fee has not changed from last year -- the ‘early fee’ is $400 if you get your entry form in by January 19, but the entry fee increases to $500 if you enter after that date. Again, the entry form is critical for meeting the dates, not when your check arrives! However, the entry form is your “promise” that you will pay the fee, even if you withdraw or cannot attend the competition. [Note: The cut-off date for entries is April 26.]
Rule Changes for the 2009 Competition
The 2009 Rules won’t be posted until early January. Until then, use the 2008 rules as found in the 2008 Rule Booklet as listed on the website. As in the past, we won’t be sending out the hard-copy 2009 Rule Booklet until sometime in March. Although the Rules do appear on the web site, the "Official Rules" are in the booklets we send you later. Typically, we try to be sure the Rules on the site are identical, but the Rule Booklet prevails.
No major rule changes are scheduled for the 2009 Rules. However, for the Technical Reports: Rule 8.12 Technical Report. Report is due at 5pm EST, April 27, 2009.
Note: Currently there are changes that were implemented for the 2008 Competition which will continue for the 2009 competition:
1) Rule 2.8. Insurance. Proof of insurance must be supplied with the Technical Report. There will be a 10 point penalty if it’s not included with your Report!
2) Rule 7.13 Radios. A team member must be in the Scorekeeper area with a radio any time their boat is on the water.
3) Rule 7.16.2 Buoyancy of Craft. Sufficient flotation must be provided on board so that the craft cannot sink, even when filled with water.
4) Rule 8.10 Overall Scoring.
Qualifying – 100 points. Your Time will be the sum of your Maneuverability time plus five times your Sprint Qualifying time.
Sprint – 250 points. …If a competitor fails to complete both of their two heats, they will receive zero points in the Sprint.
5) Rule 14.9 Teams are expected to be able to change configurations in one hour or less.
International Teams - Boat Shipping to USA and “Hosting”
It may be possible for SOLAR SPLASH to arrange for logistical support for qualifying international teams to potentially provide assistance in shipping a team's boat and other hardware to the competition in May 2009. In order to determine if such assistance will be possible, Solar Splash must be notified as soon as possible of all international teams that are seriously considering entry in the 2009 event. Notification of intent to enter must be received from any international team wishing to be considered for shipping support on or before January 31, 2009 to allow adequate time to determine if such arrangements can be secured.
Additionally, it may be possible to arrange the “pre-competition hosting” of international teams at/with USA teams at their universities. Please let us know if you are planning to “come early” and would like a site to prepare your boat and team prior to the competition.
For those of you new to the Arkansas location, the park in Fayetteville where Solar Splash 2009 will be held has a conventional concrete boat launching ramp. Thus, teams will be able to walk their trailers/trolleys directly into the water and float their boats off -- and then on again to get their boats out -- and the water will not numb your feet at the end of May in Arkansas!
We have reprints of the 2008 Technical Reports available for sale. The price for a set of the top 5 technical reports from last year is $35, which includes Priority Mailing anywhere in the U.S. If you want other specific school reports, they can be purchased at $8 each. Even if you feel you have your plans in place, the reports represent an invaluable source of format and content from past years. When you start outlining and writing your report, which is scored and points given, good examples may be very valuable.
Send a check made out to “ASME-Solar Splash” for the top 5 reports for $35 (or $8 for each other report) to:
Dr. Jeffrey Morehouse
Mechanical Engineering Department
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208
Materials and Parts Sponsor Page
You may have noticed the “Materials and Parts Sponsor Page” which is on the menu of the webpage. This is to become an on-going, growing site where companies can list their products with application to solar-electric boats. I am soliciting both team members and companies to send information on companies and products to me which might be useful to any and all the teams. I do expect the company to “discount” their offerings for the teams! So let me know if you have a contact or you are a company which wishes to be listed.