UAntwerp Solar Boat Team

We are thrilled to feature our 3D printing partner, GS Technology, renowned for their expertise in continuous fiber printing and SLS from nylon and other materials. This year, they printed several propellers for us using PA6, enabling rapid and cost-effective prototyping.

GS Technology's support has been crucial for the UAntwerp Solar Boat Team, allowing us to innovate swiftly and efficiently.

For over 50 years, Vosschemie Benelux, has been at the forefront of cold-curing plastics and composite materials. With an extensive range of products, including fiber mats, regular epoxy, and innovative bio-epoxy, they provide everything needed for cutting-edge composite construction. Their comprehensive webshop and expert consulting services make them a go-to resource for high-quality materials and advice.
This year, the UAntwerp Solar Boat Team partnered with V-Sure to enhance our sustainable materials research. Utilizing their eco-friendly bio-epoxy and benefiting from their excellent guidance, we've made remarkable progress in developing a greener, more efficient solar boat.
Thanks V-Sure, for your unwavering support!

We're proud to continue our partnership with for the second year in a row! As wholesalers of aluminum, stainless, and ordinary steel, they offer a wide range of materials with speedy delivery and expert material advice. Van Raak has been instrumental in supporting our team, providing us with stainless steel and aluminum wherever necessary. Thank you, Van Raak Staal, for your ongoing support!

Excited to welcome on board as our next sponsor! Supplying essential materials like rivets for our cutting-edge decks, Dejond brings their expertise in fasteners, milling, turning, and sheet metal to our team. With their precision craftsmanship, we're empowered to push the boundaries of innovation and performance.

We're thrilled to announce our partnership with !

Located in Ghent with over 120 years of experience, Optiek Matthijs specializes in prescription glasses, lenses, and sunglasses. Their in-house workshop ensures high-quality fitting and repair services. Optiek Matthijs is generously supporting our team by providing custom sunglasses for all members, ensuring our pilot stays protected under the Monaco sun during the race.

A huge thank you to Optiek Matthijs for their invaluable support!

Day 6 recap from the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge!
We battled hard in the championship race, where we sadly lost to a photo finish. But afterwards we excelled in the slalom, earning a fantastic result! The evening closed with celebrations as we took home the Spirit Prize and secured third place in the FPAII award.
Proud of Team UAntwerp!!

Today, we began by preparing our boat and pilot for the endurance race, which we completed without any issues. In the evening, we successfully participated in the E-sports finals, having qualified yesterday. Overall we are very proud of the team, as everyone showed great spirit and teamwork!

Day 4 Recap

Today, we had the opportunity to test our boat on the open sea for the first time. After this, all the boats came together for a beautiful parade, which was followed by an intense qualifying and speed record session. In the evening, we participated in the qualifiers for the E-sports challenge, in which we finished in first place, guaranteeing us a spot in the finals tomorrow.

Recap Day 3

Today, our boat received approval from the technical committee, allowing us to perform our first test runs on the water, where we tested both our boat and foils. Throughout the day, we also provided the other teams participating in the by with healthy fruits and snacks.

Day 2 Recap

Yesterday, our team worked tirelessly to prepare our boat, and despite some delays, we successfully passed the inspection. In the evening, we ended the day by attending the wonderful opening ceremony of the in the @ .

Day 1 Recap:
After a long journey, we finally arrived in Monaco today. Once we reached our destination, we unloaded our boat and checked into our accommodations.

Touchdown in Monaco!

Our schedule for this week 🗓

Make sure to follow our journey on our social media:
Instagram:
LinkedIn: UAntwerp Solar Boat Team
Facebook: Uantwerp Solar Boat Team
Website: https://www.uantwerpsolarboat.be/nl/

Introducing Mattijs, Arne, and Shawn, our three pilots. They will operate our boat at the ! These talented pilots are ready to power our boat and give their best to achieve a great result🌞🚤.

Announcing our next incredible sponsor: ERIKS Belgium ! ERIKS is a specialized industrial service provider. They help their customers run and develop better production lines, components, machines and industrial projects. ERIKS’ product & application know-how, engineering expertise, technical services and supply chain services allow them to deliver on this promise. Their massive webshop ensures quick access to a large stock with short delivery times. ERIKS has generously supported us by providing all the essential hardware for our contra-rotating drive, including bearings, shaft seals, O-rings, bolts, and more. Thank you, ERIKS, for helping power the Uantwerp Solar Boat Team!

Boat Reveal!
Months of hard work have led to this moment – we're excited to present the Torpedo MK.II, our solar boat for the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge

We're excited to announce our next sponsor, ! Known for their wide range of power transmission solutions and high-quality industrial gearboxes, Sumitomo also offers precision motion control gearboxes, electric motors, and variable frequency drives. Their support has been invaluable, providing us with top-notch bevel gears for our new contra-rotating drive system. Huge thanks to Sumitomo Drive Technologies for empowering the Uantwerp Solar Boat Team!

Just 14 days left until the UAntwerp Solar Boat team heads to Monaco for the Energy Boat Challenge! 🌞🚤

Announcing our next sponsor: Eltrex Motion !
As experts in motion control, Eltrex Motion specializes in motors, mechanical parts, drives, controllers, and more. They go beyond being just a distributor by offering comprehensive motion control solutions and project management. As our technical partner, they've provided us with essential hardware (motors and gearboxes) for our electric hydrofoil control system. Thank you, Eltrex Motion, for powering the UAntwerp Solar Boat Team!

Mark your calendars for June 25th and join the Uantwerp Solar Boat Team for an exciting test drive at Galgenweel! Come see our solar-powered boat in action and support our journey towards sustainable innovation on the water.
🗓 Date: June 25th
🕑 Time: 2 PM
📍 Address: RYCB Zeilclub Galgenweel, Beatrijslaan 92c, 2050 Antwerpen
See you there!

Proud to announce our partnership with GTV ! GTV provides a wide range of technological communication solutions, including Telecom & IT, Camera & Telephony, Radio Communication, and Automotive communication. They support our team by lending top-quality radio communication equipment, ensuring seamless coordination during our test runs and the upcoming race in Monaco. Thank you, GTV, for keeping us connected!

Update on Our Race to Monaco!

Thanks to your incredible support, 265 km for the UAntwerp Solar Boat Team’s journey to Monaco has already been funded! 🌊🌞 We're so grateful for everyone who has contributed so far. But we still have a way to go and need your help to reach our goal!

How to Contribute:

Make a Donation: Visit the University Fund's donation page via the link in our bio.
Fill in the Form:
* Select: a project
*Choose: Other and type UAntwerp Solar Boat Team
*Complete the rest with your private information, including your National register number (rijksregisternummer).
For donations over €40, you can claim 45% of the donated sum as a tax reduction!

Alternatively, if you wish to support us without claiming a tax reduction, your can transfer your donation to: BE70 7370 6432 8625

For every €2 donated, we're one km closer to Monaco!

Let’s make this journey to Monaco a reality together! Thank you for your incredible support!

Excited to announce our collaboration with , an exceptional advertising agency based in Aartselaar! Imprenta specializes in indoor & outdoor advertising, photo print, glass films, and interior design (wallpaper, photo print, etc.). Their expertise in vinyl lettering was instrumental in outfitting our boat with the logos of all our sponsors. They even provided our team with a hands-on tutorial on applying these logos. Thank you, Imprenta!

The UAntwerp Solar Boat Team is excited to announce that we will be unveiling our brand-new solar boat on June 21st! Stay tuned, as on this special day, you'll get an exclusive first look at the cutting-edge solar boat we've been working so tirelessly on. This reveal marks a significant milestone in our journey towards the big race in Monaco, and we can't wait to share it with you.

Thrilled to share our collaboration with EconCore! They played a crucial role in crafting our deck using polypropylene-impregnated flax (obtained from flaxco) laminated onto a polypropylene core. This recyclable honeycomb core offers incredible stiffness with very low mass, perfect for our needs. EconCore's expertise in developing core materials for sandwich structures spans automotive, aerospace, furniture, and beyond. Their innovative approach includes bio-based composite panels, pushing the boundaries of sustainable design. Thank you, EconCore, for helping us achieve our dreams!

Support the UAntwerp Solar Boat Team!

We're gearing up for the incredible solar boat race in Monaco, but we need YOUR help to get there! Join our mission for innovation and sustainability by making a personal contribution. Every bit helps, and anyone can buy a piece of our ride to ensure we can participate in this amazing race!

How to Contribute:

1. Make a Donation: Visit the University Fund's donation page (Link in bio)

2. Fill in the Form:
- Select: a project
- Choose: Other and type UAntwerp Solar Boat Team
- Complete the rest with your private information, including your National register number (rijksregisternummer).

For donations over €40, you can claim 45% of the donated sum as a tax reduction!
For every €2 donated, we're one kilometer closer to Monaco!

Let's make this journey to Monaco possible together! Thank you for your incredible support!

Proud to announce our collaboration with , a powerhouse group of six complementary companies! The expertise of ETI, Antec, Clima & Partners, Siegers Technics, Entek, and Watchguard Security spans electrical engineering, solar energy, industrial installations, air conditioning, and intrusion protection. Together, they provide a comprehensive service in building technology, ensuring innovative and efficient solutions for all projects. Thanks a lot for your support!

Introducing Toon's Bachelor Thesis : Optimising the steering system to improve design for (dis-)assembly and durability. The current setup is rigid, which makes both assembly and operation difficult. To address these issues, Toon is implementing well-reasoned modifications aimed at making the system more flexible and user-friendly, while also boosting its durability. His innovative approach is set to transform our steering system, making it more efficient and easier to work with.

Excited to announce another key sponsor of our team: ! Their engineering tools, like the PropElements software, have been a great aid in designing more performant propellers for our boat. By taking into consideration system parameters, like the resistance of our hull, we can sail more smoothly while using less electricity. Thank you, Hydrocomp, for supporting our journey towards sustainable innovation!

Introducing Lander's Bachelor Thesis: Powering Up for Efficiency!

Lander's mission is clear: to optimize our solar boat's performance by upgrading its battery system. Currently operating at 50V, Lander aims to harness the full potential of our technology by increasing the voltage to 60V, a move that could slash internal joule losses by a whopping 30%!

A big shoutout to our amazing sponsor, ! As an engineering powerhouse, they transform ideas into reality, mastering everything from simulations to fiber materials. Thanks to their brainstorming sessions, we were able to enhance our boat with Dries's struts and Maxim's foils, as showcased in this picture.

Thanks a lot, we couldn't have done it without you, Voxdale!