University Of Michigan Electric Boat Team Unveils Liberator At Boyne Thunder Poker Run
The students behind the University of Michigan Electric Boat project team were excited to showcase the culmination of months of hard work at last night’s Stroll the Streets celebration during the 21st annual Boyne Thunder Poker Run in Boyne City, Mich. The team and its new electric-powered 22-foot catamaran from Liberator Boats in Crowley, Texas, which has been equipped with a custom safety canopy from Skater Powerboats in Douglas, Mich., and an Arneson surface drive, were on hand to promote the project and answer questions about the team’s goals heading toward next month’s Lake of the Ozarks Shootout in Central Missouri.
As reported on Speed On The Water, the team, which consists of more than 50 Michigan students, is eager to start promoting its 22-foot boat that is powered by a Beyond Motors AXM4—an axial flux e-motor that is capable of producing 430 kilowatts or 575 horsepower with 950 Newton-meters or 700 foot-pounds of torque. The team is also eager to start testing the 22-footer, which was freshly wrapped in its unmistakable University of Michigan color palette and design by Ann Arbor’s own A2 Customs, a leader in vehicle wraps in the Detroit Metro area.
Debut at the Boyne Thunder Poker Run
“We’re super excited to unveil the boat, especially at the Boyne Thunder Poker Run, which is such a first-class event,” said Nick Robbins, the operations director for the University of Michigan Electric Boat team. “We’ve done a ton of work lately to get the boat ready for its debut so it’s nice to be able to get some feedback about the project and even more publicity for what we’re trying to do with it.”
Robbins, who was in Boyne City with three of his teammates, said that people’s opinions were overwhelmingly positive. “People were excited to see the boat on display here in downtown Boyne City,” Robbins said. “It was nice to get it out there and get some real-world recognition and reactions. The boat—and the wrap—got a lot of attention.”
Design and Inspiration
“We wanted to use the school colors (Michigan Maize and Michigan Blue) for consistency, obviously, but we also wanted to make sure everything flowed really nice together,” he added. “We also wanted the design to somewhat resemble the Michigan football helmet and make it so the canopy looked like it was supposed to be on the boat.
Robbins said the circuitry graphics on the transom and the removeable rear canopy were included to represent the technology within the boat yet also add extra detail so it wasn’t just plain blue across the back. The team also added American flags inside the front sponsons, which was a nice touch.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the University of Michigan Electric Boat Team is thrilled to unveil their project at such a prestigious event like the Boyne Thunder Poker Run. With their high-performance electric-powered 22-foot Liberator catamaran turning heads and generating excitement, the team is eager to continue showcasing their innovation and skills in upcoming events like the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout.