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U.S. Team Wins Dutch Concrete Canoe Challenge

At the invitation of the Netherlands Concrete Society, ACI and the American Society of Civil Engineers cosponsored the University of Wisconsin-Madison team, winners of the National Concrete Canoe Competition, to participate in the 30th annual Dutch Concrete Canoe Challenge, held September 7-9, 2007, at the campus of Twente University, Enschede, the Netherlands. It was the first time that a team representing the U.S. competed in the event. Twelve teams, mainly from the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, were entered. The University of Wisconsin-Madison team ultimately was named the overall winner, having won five out of six canoe races, the Construction prize, and the Innovation prize.

ACI Executive Vice President William R. Tolley (front, second from left) and ACI President David Darwin (second from right) represented ACI at the Dutch Concrete Canoe Challenge

University of Wisconsin-Madison Wins 2007 National Concrete Canoe Competition

Madison team will now represent U.S. in the Netherlands

Those who believe concrete canoes or other watercraft are fairly recent phenomena might be surprised to learn that in 1848, J.L. Lambot built a rowboat in Miraval, France, using a method similar to that used in ferrocement construction.1 This construction method is not unlike the methods used by many of the student teams who built canoes entered in the 2007 National Concrete Canoe Competition hosted by the University of Washington in Seattle, WA, on June 14-16. And fittingly enough, the school at which the current competition originated was among the finalists.

Students in a University of Illinois civil engineering honors class studying under ACI Past President Clyde Kesler revived the art of building concrete pleasure craft and paddled their first concrete canoe in 1970. The next year, students from Illinois and Purdue staged a concrete canoe race, and by 1972, a Midwest race held in Indiana featured entries from 17 schools. American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) student chapters, ACI chapters, and other local organizations joined the effort in what has evolved into the current National Concrete Canoe Competition. ASCE and corporate sponsor BASF Admixtures—then Master Builders—made the canoe races a national event in 1988.

In the 2007 races, the University of Wisconsin-Madison came out ahead of the other 21 schools entered in the competition by garnering the highest number of points based on race results, a design paper, oral presentation, and canoe workmanship. Races included three sprints, and men's and women's slalom/endurance races, which emphasize both speed and maneuverability of the canoes.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison took first place in the 2007 National Concrete Canoe Competition, marking the school's fifth straight win (photo courtesy of American Society of Civil Engineers)

The Wisconsin Badgers team has now been invited to represent the U.S. in the 30th Annual BetonKanoRace (Dutch Concrete Canoe Challenge) to be held in the Netherlands on September 7-9, 2007. The Netherlands Concrete Society is sponsoring the race, which is being organized by the Technical University of Twente, in conjunction with Concrete Day 2007. The Concrete Society invited ACI to participate by sponsoring a team, then moved the date of the event so the winner of the U.S. competition could participate. ACI President David Darwin will represent ACI at this competition. The Badger team will be cosponsored by ASCE and ACI, with the two organizations contributing equally to the cost of travel, lodging, food, and registration fees for the students and a faculty advisor, plus shipping costs for the canoe.

The Madison team continued their recent dominance of the competition in capturing their fifth consecutive Concrete Canoe title. Their 2007 entry, Descendant, weighed in at 179 lb (81 kg), with other canoe weights ranging from 127 to 400 lb (58 to 181 kg). The top five finishers in this 20th year of the competition were:
1. University of Wisconsin-Madison;
2. University of Florida;
3. University of Nevada-Reno;
4. Western Kentucky University; and
5. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo.

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo finished fifth (photo courtesy of American Society of Civil Engineers)

The California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo team won the ACI Award for Excellence in Concrete Canoe Design. Pictured, from left, are team members Jason Marshall, John Layous, Skye Orvis, and Jason Kump (photo courtesy of California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo)

Only the Madison and San Luis Obispo teams were repeaters from last year's top five list in the event now referred to as the "America's Cup of Civil Engineering."

ACI has been a sponsor for the 2006 and 2007 national competitions. As a tribute to its members who unselfishly volunteer their services to advance concrete knowledge, ACI established the American Concrete Institute Award for Excellence in Concrete Canoe Design. This award was presented to the team from Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo for their ingenuity in showcasing the versatility and beauty of concrete as a construction material, while maintaining structural integrity through the use of an elaborate reinforced tile mosaic inlay inspired by the artwork of M.C. Escher.

The 2007 entry Mis-Led II from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign paid tribute to the university's first concrete canoe (photo courtesy of American Society of Civil Engineers)

For those who might argue that the concrete canoe competition omits consideration of an important factor in concrete design—durability—history shows that concrete watercraft are indeed durable. The SS Selma, a tanker with a reinforced lightweight concrete shell made using expanded shale aggregate, was launched in 1919. She ran aground 3 years later, and although the damage was repairable, the dry dock crew had no knowledge or experience in repairing a concrete hull. After being stripped of equipment, the tanker was sunk in the shallow water of Galveston Bay. The Selma's performance was reviewed in 1980, and again on a field inspection in 1989. Core samples cut through the reinforcing bars showed little evidence of rusting, and 12 to 30 mm of cover had proven surprisingly effective in preventing spalling where rusting had occurred. Several holds also contained water with about a 6 m head, providing ample proof of the low permeability of lightweight concrete.1,2

If only a few of this year's concrete canoe enthusiasts had been present when the Selma ran aground, they could likely have put the tanker back into service with a few rolls of duct tape. The National Canoe Competition is funded by founding sponsor BASF Admixtures, Inc., with additional sponsorship at the 2007 races provided by ACI; Baker Concrete Construction; Bentley Systems, Inc.; Holcim; Norchem; ICS Penetron; Pennoni Associates, Inc.; Propex Concrete Systems; and U.S. Silica Co. More information on this year's competition can be found at www.asce.org/concretecanoe.

References
1. Steiger, R.W., "Going to Sea in Concrete," Concrete Construction, June 1992, pp. 470-480.
2. Holm, T.A., and Bremner, T.W., "Durability of Structural Lightweight Concrete," Second CANMET/ACI International Conference on Durability of Concrete, SP-126, V.M. Malhotra, ed., American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 1991, pp. 1124-1125.