Concrete Canoe Team Wins Regional Competition
Despite rule changes that resulted in the addition of 50 pounds to the weight of their canoe, University of Rhode Island civil engineering students paddled their way to their eighth 
consecutive New England regional concrete canoe championship, held this year at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
URI competed against engineering schools throughout New England to win a spot in the national competition at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Teams were rated based on their performance in eight different categories — five races, a technical paper, an oral presentation, and the canoe’s physical appearance.
“It was much harder to prepare for this year’s competition than in past years,” said Karey Long of Stratham, N.H., the team’s co-captain. “There were a lot of changes to the rules this year, including changes in the concrete mix, changes to the format of the technical paper, and we weren’t allowed to paint it. They even eliminated entirely the display booth that teams had to create, and that was an area that we’ve always done well in.”
According to Elizabeth Andrade of North Kingstown, who headed up development of the team’s concrete mix, the outer layers of the canoe consist of a “heavy mix” of concrete for stability, while the inner layers are a “light mix” designed to reduce the weight of the canoe. Both the heavy and light mix are made up of different ratios of cement, sand, ecospheres (glass microballoons used in place of sand to reduce weight and add buoyancy), latex, fly ash and water. Between each layer is a reinforcing mesh of geotextile material that increased the tensile strength of the boat. The completed canoe is nearly 22 feet long and weighs 194 pounds.
Despite the rule changes, the URI team placed first in three of the five races and took second and third in the other two races. They also placed first in the technical paper and oral presentation.
“One key to our success in the races is that the hull of our canoe is asymmetrical,” explained Cranston resident Joe Baker, president of the URI chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers and project manager for the canoe construction project. “The widest part of the boat is toward the back, which allows it to cut through the water faster.”
While construction of a concrete canoe may not at first seem to provide students with practical knowledge, Baker disagrees. “In our senior design class, it’s clear to see that the canoe project has real life applications, including things like understanding the construction management process, doing the actual engineering work, and meeting important deadlines.”
consecutive New England regional concrete canoe championship, held this year at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.URI competed against engineering schools throughout New England to win a spot in the national competition at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Teams were rated based on their performance in eight different categories — five races, a technical paper, an oral presentation, and the canoe’s physical appearance.
“It was much harder to prepare for this year’s competition than in past years,” said Karey Long of Stratham, N.H., the team’s co-captain. “There were a lot of changes to the rules this year, including changes in the concrete mix, changes to the format of the technical paper, and we weren’t allowed to paint it. They even eliminated entirely the display booth that teams had to create, and that was an area that we’ve always done well in.”
According to Elizabeth Andrade of North Kingstown, who headed up development of the team’s concrete mix, the outer layers of the canoe consist of a “heavy mix” of concrete for stability, while the inner layers are a “light mix” designed to reduce the weight of the canoe. Both the heavy and light mix are made up of different ratios of cement, sand, ecospheres (glass microballoons used in place of sand to reduce weight and add buoyancy), latex, fly ash and water. Between each layer is a reinforcing mesh of geotextile material that increased the tensile strength of the boat. The completed canoe is nearly 22 feet long and weighs 194 pounds.
Despite the rule changes, the URI team placed first in three of the five races and took second and third in the other two races. They also placed first in the technical paper and oral presentation.
“One key to our success in the races is that the hull of our canoe is asymmetrical,” explained Cranston resident Joe Baker, president of the URI chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers and project manager for the canoe construction project. “The widest part of the boat is toward the back, which allows it to cut through the water faster.”
While construction of a concrete canoe may not at first seem to provide students with practical knowledge, Baker disagrees. “In our senior design class, it’s clear to see that the canoe project has real life applications, including things like understanding the construction management process, doing the actual engineering work, and meeting important deadlines.”
By Todd McLeish