We are representing CU this year at the regional American Society of Civil Engineers Concrete Canoe Competition. Dollah makes us holla!
In the history of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Concrete Canoe Competition, University of Colorado has never been ranked. Over four years has passed since a vessel has been crafted at all, and the most recent canoe reached its fame when it broke in half before it ever saw the competition.
The CU members of ASCE see this as an outrage and this year we plan to construct a concrete canoe not only capable of competing but will have a chance of winning the Concrete Canoe Regional Competition. The competition is scheduled to be held in Utah in early April, 2013.
In order to enter a competitive boat, the Concrete Canoe Team has already begun to brainstorm ideas for a concrete design mix for the canoe that will actually enable it to float in water. The concrete must be strong yet light-weight, and since we lack a history of students who have experience with the competition, this will prove to be one of the many big challenges the team will face during the project. Concrete samples for strength and weight testing will begin this month. It can take up to two months for the concrete to cure properly before it can be tested, so the team is eager to get started.
While the samples are curing, phase two will begin: the construction of the hull-shaped, concrete form. For this process, a master carpenter, the current Concrete Canoe Team captain with fourteen years of framing and form-building experience, will lead the design and construction of the canoe hull. After the form is completed, specially-designed, concrete layers will be applied over the hull. Once the concrete is cured, finished, and lettering is applied, the team will be ready to debut its creation.
To stay on schedule, the project needs funding prior to construction. The team’s budget has been developed to meet the needs of one preliminary design that uses rigid insulation as the form material. With material donations, this design has an estimated cost of $3,500. If material donations are scarce, the estimate will increase by $1,000. The next challenge will be transporting the team and canoe to Utah for competition. At about 22 feet long, 3 feet wide, and weighing between 250 and 400 pounds, a U-haul or horse trailer will be necessary to arrive with the canoe in one piece, adding to the team’s need for funding.
All Concrete Canoe Team members are current engineering students at the University of Colorado. As a team, we have made the decision to take-on this challenge, with the hope of learning and growing as it is completed. By donating to the project, an investment will be made in the education of the next generation of engineers. This is a chance to make CU history and earn recognition for our team, sponsors, and most importantly, for the University of Colorado!
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There are many challenges associated with this project. First and foremost, we are up against a large budget. We need to raise a lot of money to enter a competative conoe. And with the concrete samples we need to begin testing soon, so we need to raise some fast money in order to gather some of the unique materials we need to make our concrete design.
That brings me to the next biggest challenge: our to create a concrete that is less dense than water. The canoe not only has to sit on top of the water, but when submerged, the canoe has to float. The concrete mix design will be tricky in its design.
In addition to that, the materials we need to gather to go into our concrete mix design are unique and will be difficult to come across. Some of these materials include white portland cement, fly ash, metakaolin, steel fibers, hollowglass microspheres, latex, retarder, and water reducer.
Before the challenge of the competition itself, we have to transport our massive project all the way to Utah were we will compete. If we do not find a long horse trailer we can use for the transportation, we may have to resort to renting a large U-haul which will add money to our already large budget.
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Funding period
Nov 30, 2012 -
Dec 17, 2012
(17 days)
Pledge $1 or more
6 backers
A sincere, thank-you email and a digital photos of the team with the final product
Estimated delivery: Feb 2013Pledge $11 or more
4 backers
A thank-you note with a hard copy photo of the team with the final product.
Estimated delivery: Feb 2013Ships within the US onlyPledge $26 or more
2 backers
A thank-you note with a hard copy photo of the team with the final product and annual seasons greeting card from the CU Concrete Canoe Team.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Ships within the US onlyPledge $50 or more
0 backers
All rewards as described above and "personal competition shout-out." Your name or affiliation will receive personal recognition at the competition through our presentation and submitted report.
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Ships within the US onlyPledge $100 or more
7 backers
All rewards as described above AND a sweet t-shirt! (T-shirts not to arrive until March of 2013)
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Ships within the US only
