U of T’s Concrete Canoe team victorious in Quebec

University of Toronto’s Concrete Canoe Team has returned from the Canadian National Concrete Canoe Competition 2022 in Sherbrooke, QC with a handful of awards.

The 25th annual competition saw University of Toronto’s team take 3rd overall, in addition to many other honours including:

Innovation of the Year (with using Capacitance to measure canoe thickness and zero portland cement in concrete mix)
1st place in Enhanced Focus Area
2nd in Project Proposal (Tech report)
3rd in Final Product
4th in Paddling
5th in Presentation

Concrete Canoe Project Manager 2T1-2T2 Ernie Lee says he’s extremely proud that his team managed to reach the podium.

“This competition is a great example of team collaboration and talent among all engineering disciplines to make our concrete canoe float,” says Lee. “We were especially proud to have won the Innovation Award.”

This year’s squad was under intense pressure to complete its canoe during a pressed work schedule with COVID-19 restrictions, but Lee says they had fantastic support from faculty and friends.

“Clear communication among team members and casual social events are examples of how we establish this tight bond within the Skule™ community. Shoutout to all the other design teams who have helped make our design and construction process much smoother!”

The team’s faculty supervisor, Prof. Karl Peterson says he was impressed with how they pushed the limits of alternative cements this year.

“This team not only managed to overcome the extra challenges of safely coordinating the in-person construction of a canoe in the midst of a pandemic, but also created a concrete canoe without relying on the hundred-years-plus tried-and-true traditional technology of portland cement-based binders,” says Peterson.

By David Goldberg