Boat Details - Aberystwyth 2010

  • Team Name: Department of Computer Science, Aberystwyth University
  • Boat Name: Pinta
  • Length: 2.95m
  • Beam: 1.2m
  • Draft: 0.82m
  • Weight: approximately 150kg
  • Hull type: Topper Taz Dinghy
  • Power source: 6x 20W Solar panels (120W peak) and 16x 7amp hour 12 volt lead Acid Batteries
  • Sail type: Bermudan Style fabric sail.
  • Actuators: Sail winch motor and Simrad TP22 tiller pilot.
  • Sensors: Ultrasonic wind sensor, tilt compensated compass and GPS.
  • Communications: SPOT Satellite Messenger and Iridium 9601 Short Burst Data transceiver.
  • Computers: PIC 18F4550 microcontroller and Gumstix Single Board Computer.
  • Other features: Built only with the Microtransat in mind. Intended to be cheap, simple and reliable. All the electronics are housed in a water proof box which is attached to the deck. The batteries have been sealed inside the hull with foam and any remaining space has been filled with airbags usually used as packaging, this makes it very hard for the hull to fill with water.
  • More Information: Pinta's Blog, Facebook page and Twitter Feed
Photo of Pinta
Background by Jenna Bash on Unsplash