The ODU ASNE Student Chapter participated in this year’s ASNE Multi-Agency Craft Conference (MACC) Promoting Electric Propulsion (PEP) small craft contest in Baltimore, MD. The team had several limitations but came in 4^th place out of 11.

“We were ecstatic with the results, considering we only had a month to do any of the work, where the other teams had six months to a year to complete their crafts,” said Neil St Clair, former ASNE Student Chapter President and recent ODU graduate.

Some of the modifications of the team’s craft was utilizing a 48-volt golf cart motor and adding bearings which were then mated to a 9.9 HP outboard bottom end. “Mating an electric motor to an outboard helped us achieve maneuverability without the added weight of a rudder. It also ensured a reliable and effective power transfer,” said Daniel Erdogan, ODU ASNE Student Chapter member and ODU student.

After a presentation, there were only six teams who attempted to get their crafts into the water. The ODU team had no issues of overheating because of their cooling system, and they maxed out about 8 MPH. The two winning teams were able to get up to 20 MPH.

“We ended up getting 13 seconds behind 3^rd place. We probably could have gone another five or six laps with our battery, but overall, we were happy with the results,” said Neil.

During this competition, the team learned some valuable lessons, walked away with a trophy and some grant money, and will be more than ready to compete again next year.