Costa Mesa High places fourth overall in solar-powered boat competition

Costa Mesa High School sophomore Cameron Kutz recently piloted the Mustangs’ solar-powered race boat to victory over four fellow rookie teams at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s 16th annual Solar Cup at Lake Skinner in Temecula Valley.

Cameron was recruited by his engineering teacher, Racine Cross.

“It just seemed fun,” he said. “You don’t have to show up with an assignment. It’s more like we have to put this thing on a boat or [figure out] why is the boat broken.”

The seven-member Solar Boat Team built a canoe hull from scratch using plywood, nails and epoxy. Under teacher supervision, students mounted solar panels, batteries, wiring, a throttle, a rudder, a seat and a propeller, to the canoe.

The build took about 150 hours over six months, engineering teacher Cristen Rasmussen said.

Amid mechanical breakdowns, Costa Mesa sophomores and juniors worked on the boat until just before the race.

“We didn’t know that [the solar panels] worked until the day of the competition,” she said.

Over the course of the three-day event, teams were judged in eight categories.

The Mustangs didn’t win a 200-meter sprint race — or the most points — in two, 1.6-kilometer endurance races, but they beat four fellow rookie teams by earning As and Bs in each category, Solar Cup coordinator Julie Kalbacher said.

Kalenbacher described Costa Mesa’s win as her “silent surprise.”

Students didn’t ask a ton of questions during their build and inspections but worked hard to construct the best boat, Kalenbacher said.

“Doing your best and having a positive attitude goes a long way, and they’re a testament to that,” she said.

Kalenbacher said it’s unusual for a first-year team to place in the top five. Mesa landed fourth overall behind Riverside Poly, Cypress Oxford Academy and Long Beach McBride.

The competition requires each team to be sponsored by its local water district. Mesa Water sponsored the Mustangs and will honor the team at its June 14 board meeting.

Daniel Langhorne is a contributor to Times Community News.

Twitter: @DanielLanghorne