Concrete Canoe

ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition Background 

The ASCE National Concrete Canoe Competition is  an annual student project in which hundreds of  engineering universities from the US, Canada, and  China design, construct, and race a canoe made  from concrete. The competition encourages  students to discover concrete’s versatility and  explore innovative concrete technology. The  project is evaluated on four categories: design  paper, oral presentation, final product, and racing.  A unique combination of skills and teamwork is  vital in successfully undertaking the technical and  logistical challenges of constructing a concrete canoe. It tests students’ capabilities in aspects such as concrete mix design, hull design, construction  craftsmanship, project management, project scheduling, cost estimating, professional writing, presentation skills, physical fitness, and stamina. The Tandon team must first win the Metropolitan  Regional Conference to advance to the National Conference, which represents the top 20 of roughly 200  engineering universities. 

Awards & Goals 

At the Regional Conference level, NYU Tandon placed 1st in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. This year has  been exceptional with a solid victory at the 2019 Regional Conference. Thanks to the generosity of our  sponsors, for the fourth time in NYU Tandon history, the NYU Tandon Concrete Canoe Team placed first  in all categories of the competition, advancing to the National Conference at the Florida Institute of  Technology. This year’s design featured NYU Tandon’s “Blue Fin” which placed in the top-twenty  bracket, placing 12th overall. 

With the excitement from our success in the last four competition years, NYU Tandon is keen on making  continual improvements and learning from its experiences to emerge more competitive at the 2020 National Conference. The team will continue to strengthen its paddling abilities by working with coaches at the Sebago Canoe Club in Brooklyn. The team will seek out new construction methods and implement innovative technologies to make its materials more environmentally sustainable. The team is developing a method to automate most of the construction of the canoe and mold via a robot that can be fitted with various heads. The testing of materials, methods, and processes will require vital financial support to propel the NYU Concrete Canoe Team to greater heights.

Interested in joining? Questions or comments? Email nyuconcretecanoe@gmail.com.