Engineering News, April 3, 2006

April 3, 2006 Vol. 77, no. 11S

BENT TO THE TASK: A canoe made of concrete may give some people pause, but Cal has the project down to a science. Here team members place the first layer of concrete onto the canoe’s foam form. (Ben Huie photo)

A national win weighs heavily on the minds and paddling arms of the Cal Concrete Canoe Team

The 19th annual National Concrete Canoe Competition starts June 15 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and the Cal Concrete Canoe Team wants nothing less than top prize: a $5,000 scholarship, trophy and accompanying national prestige. To win, Cal must do more than paddle first across the finish line. Teams must accumulate points in men’s and women’s slalom/endurance races and sprint races, an oral presentation, design paper, and overall final product.

“We have the team and canoe to win first this year,” says CEE junior and team project manager Ben Huie. CEE senior and hull design and structural engineer Danny Yost elaborates. “Our paddlers are practicing two hours a day, three times a week, and they work out at the gym. Our construction team meets for five hours every Friday to work on the form. We have 28 active members, several in their fourth year of concrete canoe. If we’re ever going to win nationals, this will be the year.” Engineers also taught classes on hull design and structural analysis and concrete research to their members last semester in order to solidify their expertise.

But before getting to the national competition, Cal must win the regional event. Last year’s team competed in a canoe that weighed 265 pounds, which forced slower starts in races. This year’s team is aiming for a lighter canoe constructed from a new, super-secret concrete formula that it developed. In March, the team spent 20 straight hours casting its canoe into a form that was designed and analyzed for maximum speed and stability.

On April 28, the canoe will debut at the regional competition held during the ASCE Student Mid-Pacific Regional Conference. Luckily, for home turf advantage, CEE students are hosting this year’s conference in Berkeley. All signs point to success, including the canoe’s name, “Caliente.” CEE engineers, it appears, are ready to turn up the heat.

Go to www.ce.berkeley.edu/~canoe/index.php?location=index for more information.

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