The ASCE National Concrete Canoe Competition (NCCC) provides students with a practical
application of the engineering principles they learn in the classroom, along with
important team and project management skills they will need in their careers. The
event challenges the students' knowledge, creativity and stamina, while showcasing
the versatility and durability of concrete as a building material.
The teams begin the design of the hull and the concrete mix in September. The concrete
mix is designed using admixtures that allow the unit weight to be lighter than that
of water. In order to qualify for competition, the canoe must be able to float after
being completely submerged in water. The main criteria are to design a mix with appropriate
workability that is lighter than the unit weight of water and strong enough to withstand
the stresses induced on the canoe during the competition. The compressive strength
of the concrete must be high enough to withstand the weight of four people with a
hull thickness of less than one-half inch. Developing the proper mix to ensure a durable
and buoyant canoe is perhaps the most challenging part of the competition*.
Watch SPSU Men's Sprint Concrete Canoe Race 2012 Here:
The competition has 
four main categories. These are finished product, oral presentation, technical paper,
and canoe races. The finished product is judged on aesthetic appeal, finishing techniques,
and durability. A technical paper six pages long must be submitted to the judges prior
to the competition. An oral presentation of the paper is scheduled for the day of
the competition, followed by questions from a panel of judges. The real-life application
and durability of the canoe is tested as the teams compete in five races. These include
both male and female sprint and distance races, as well as a co-ed sprint. A combination
of the team’s scores in each of the four categories determines the final ranking of
the team in the competition*.
Concrete Canoe team was first recognized in 1991 at SPSU. The team had a concrete
canoe considered to be quickest, slipperiest canoe made of “that gray stuff” to have
hit the water.
STINGER, Southern Polytechnic State University’s 2012 canoe, was approximately 250
pounds, 16’-4” long, and 2”-71/2” wide. STINGER’s weight was drastically decreased
from the previous years. STINGER had two layers of Geogrid reinforcement and special
concrete mix design. Compression, split tension, and flexure tests were performed
on test cylinders and cube specimens. Preparations for this year’s canoe has already
been started. After several trials, concrete mix design is almost complete, and mold
construction process is going to start soon.
Please click here to go to ASCE OrgSync Club Page.
CONCRETE CANOE THROUGH THE AGES...
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* Assessing the Impact of the Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridge Competitions on Civil Engineering Technology Students By Valerie L. Sirianni, et. al. Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition
