A concrete racing canoe designed and built by Mechanical & Civil Engineering students from Minnesota State University, Mankato finished second in regional American Society of Civil Engineers competition.
The 13-student team’s canoe finished second in both design and on-water races against six other teams during the April 18 Midwest regional competition in Iowa City, Iowa. The annual competition included a design paper, technical presentation, beach display and races.
Minnesota State Mankato students spent a year designing and building the canoe for the contest. Students tested numerous concrete mixes to find a strong, lightweight mix suitable for a sleek canoe. Their final mixture included glass beads, Perlite (volcanic ash) and lightweight ceramics that were added to the concrete.
The team members, led by captains Aleigha Ahlstrom and Greg Mitchell, also organized fundraising, designed molds, tested construction techniques and practiced team paddling.
Seventy-five percent of the competition’s team score is based on engineering design, construction, the written paper and oratory skills. The remaining 25 percent is based on canoe performance in five race events: men’s and women’s slalom/endurance races, men’s and women’s sprint races and a co-ed sprint race.
The use of concrete for floating vessels dates to 1848, when Joseph Louis Lambot built concrete boats in France. The first American Society of Civil Engineers competitions were held in the 1970s. Since then, student engineers have discovered and instituted many improvements in the canoes’ concrete mixture, construction, design and racing technique.
Minnesota State Mankato’s Mechanical & Civil Engineering program is the second-largest in Minnesota, providing a strong technical foundation that prepares students to become professional engineers or to pursue graduate study.
Minnesota State Mankato students have been part of the regional concrete canoe competition since 2004.
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