NOTICE: This website was created by an independent student organization at the University of Connecticut. The views and opinions expressed within are strictly those of the page authors. The content of these pages has not been reviewed or approved by the University of Connecticut and should be verified independently.

The Process

The UConn Concrete Canoe Association prides itself on both its top-of-the-line canoe production techniques and its strong sense of community and camaraderie. The team remains at the cutting edge of Concrete Canoe engineering.  The nature of our club sees us faced with quite a peculiar goal; making a canoe out of concrete. This demands a lot of engineering know-how and very thorough craftsmanship to become a reality; not to mention the time constraints and documentation involved.

A concrete canoe is a detailed demonstration and presentation of how the properties of concrete can be bent to fill a variety of roles, how something usually made to be heavy and dense can be instead made buoyant, without sacrificing its strength. That’s why it takes a team of the best and brightest that UConn Engineering has to offer to make it happen each and every year.

caricature of dog holding a wood paddle in a concrete boat in the ocean - concrete canoe logo

How We Start

Recruitment

members eagerly recruiting at the involvement fair with the graveyacht canoe and a skeleton sitting int it

First Meeting

first meeting with new members exploring and creating with concrete outside

Picking a Theme

the team in a lecture hall picking a theme through group discussion

Designing and Testing

a picture of testing results for a mixture of concrete with the stress it can hold highlighted as 4010 psi

Construction and Pour Day

1) 

Foam Mold Assemble

a group of members assembling the foam mold for the canoe

2) 

Applying Concrete and Reinforcement

person in the process of adding fiber mesh on top of the first white layer of concrete on the canoe

3) 

Smoothing out the Concrete

a group of members working to smooth out the second red layer of concrete added on the canoe

4) 

Letting the Concrete Cure

the finished canoe on a table and covered in wet rags to let cure

Finalizing and Finishing Touches

Demolding

a group of members removing the foam mold from inside small canoe using various tools
two members using a crowbar to remove the foam from within the canoe
sanding the canoe and a member posed with a thumbs up while wearing a protective mask

Sanding

4 members sanding the canoe with power tools and removing dust using a vacuum

Technical Preparation

Design Paper

concrete crustacean design paper cover which is an underwater view of a lobster cage hanging from a rope connected to a concrete canoe above

Presentation

3 members presenting the concrete crustacean at the competition in front of a panel of judges