SCIGRIP announced the victory of the SCIGRIP Solar Boat Team in Class A of the DONG Energy Solar Challenge
SCIGRIP, a global supplier of smart adhesive solutions, announced the victory of the SCIGRIP Solar Boat Team in Class A of the DONG Energy Solar Challenge, which concluded this past weekend. The Polish crew completed the five-stage, weeklong event four minutes and 18 seconds ahead of their closest rivals when they crossed the finish line in Leeuwarden, Holland, on Saturday, July 5.
"Our team led the class on and off throughout the race," said Bartosz Puchowski, captain and helmsman. "We sailed tactically, and I am delighted our efforts paid off. The SCIGRIP Solar Boat performed extremely well and, thanks to its incredibly lightweight structure of 135kg, it had a real speed advantage over our competitors during the reduced solar power phases of the race. As a result of this higher efficiency, our boat was able to really excel during the longer, sunnier distances of the course, reaching maximum speeds of 24km/h."
An extensive selection of SCIGRIP products were used to bond the most demanding sections of the boat, including the bulkheads, deck-to-hull joints, floater beams, and the engine column. Bartosz continued, "SCIGRIP's adhesives were straightforward and easy to work with. For the larger structural sections, we applied the SG230 HV adhesive, which offers a range of working times and is lightweight, easy to apply, and exceedingly strong."
SCIGRIP Marine Repair Kits were distributed to all 42 competitors at the start of the race. These customized packs contained a selection of high performance, fast curing adhesives and waterproof epoxy sticks, allowing any damage incurred to the boats to be quickly mended.
A range of repairs on competing boats were accomplished during the race and feedback was consistently positive. Team A07, Equipe Solar Brazil, used a selection of SCIGRIP's high viscosity methacrylate (MMA) and fast-curing epoxy adhesives to mend their propeller with great success. Ordinarily, this type of damage would have required the complete lamination of the affected component with an epoxy resin, which could not easily be conducted under race conditions. However, due to the rapid cure times and minimal surface treatment requirements of the SCIGRIP adhesives in the repair kits, the team was able to complete the task safely and swiftly, rejoining the race the very next day.
"The commitment and dedication that the SCIGRIP Solar Boat Team has demonstrated during this project is second to none," said Mark Rogan, SCIGRIP's European Sales and Marketing Manager. "We have thoroughly enjoyed partnering with them and are proud to have helped the team succeed at the highest level in the competition through our provision of high strength, high reliability adhesive products."
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