Engineering students cruise to second place in national boat race

A group of East Carolina University engineering students navigated rough waters to place second in the national Promoting Electric Propulsion boat racing competition April 14-16 in Portsmouth, Virginia.

It was the first time ECU had ever participated in the competition, which had the students design and build their own boat and then race it on a two-mile course as part of their senior capstone project.

ECU engineering students watch as their autonomous boat takes to the water during the Promoting Electric Propulsion boat racing competition. (Contributed photo)

“We were all pretty shocked,” team member James Miller said of the team’s second-place finish. “Once we got there and we saw the competition, we got pretty nervous.”

Central Florida, Alabama, Elon and Georgia were among the 16 universities in ECU’s uncrewed open division.

“Our goal was just to finish the course, so the idea of placing was something that felt out of reach and surreal,” team member Molly Lasure said.

Piloted remotely from a chase boat, ECU’s craft carried a 60-pound payload for a half mile, turned around and returned, and then had to complete a second lap. Each competitor took turns running the course.

“We all felt like we were going to throw up,” Miller said of the race. “We were super nervous.”

Student Maximilian Martinez operated ECU’s boat during the competition.

“Max ripped it,” Lasure said. “The first lap, we finished in about six minutes, which was what we wanted.”

However, the second lap did not go according to plan.

“We had to go through the wake of the chase boat, so what we think is a ton of water got into our motors and basically shorted everything,” Lasure said. “Somehow Max managed to get that thing across the finish line. They have the ‘Miracle on Ice.’ This was the miracle on water.”

Martinez said he didn’t panic, even when race officials on the chase boat asked if ECU’s ship was floundering during the second lap.

“I lost control of the motor on the left and I got questioned if the boat still worked,” he said. “I shook the rudder to show that it still worked.

“I didn’t think panicking would help. All I thought about was what I could do to fix the situation. I think that was a time not to panic.”

ECU engineering students Trent Byrum, left, and Patrick Sprague guide the team’s boat into the water for the race. (Contributed photo)

The boat, named Queen Ryan’s Revenge after engineering department chair Dr. Teresa Ryan, came across the finish line just in time.

“The funny thing is it died about 15 to 20 seconds immediately after we finished,” Martinez said. “It made it about 100 feet farther and then it just died. We had to get towed in.”

Even though they completed the race in second, the engineering students did what engineering students do: They wanted to discover the reason for the boat’s problems on the second lap.

“We popped the top. All the wires from the motor controllers to the motors were completely melted through and had zero connection,” said Martinez, adding that the water intrusion from the chase boat’s wake caused the problem. “The solder exploded.”

It was just one more lesson before they graduate on May 8.

“We really did learn a lot, not even just about boats, but about how projects move forward,” Miller said. “We got some of the hands-on experience.”

The students were excited to not only be the first ECU team to compete in the event, but also to place so highly. They believe they have set the stage for future teams to compete.

“I’m going to be staying here for another year as a master’s student, so I have the opportunity to continue working with them and guide them through the next boat, which I’m excited to do,” Martinez said. “We all have a lot of ideas of where we can move forward, and I think next year they have a good shot again.”

Members of the team included Miller, Lasure, Martinez, Preston Andres, Trent Byrum, Blake Isla, Ty Parks and Patrick Sprague. Professor Randall Etheridge and Senior Teaching Instructor Jeff Foeller served as faculty advisors.

Sponsored by the Office of Naval Research in partnership with the American Society of Naval Engineers, the Promoting Electric Propulsion event challenges university students to design, build and race electric boats, with the goal of fostering innovation while developing a future workforce for the Navy and Marine Corps. This year’s race included more than 45 universities in six divisions.

The team talks about the boat at the Engineering Capstone Symposium. (Photo by Ken Buday)

ECU’s boat races through the water during the competition. (Contributed photo)