ASCE student organizations have been involved in constructing and racing concrete canoes on the local and conference level since the early 1970s. The first national competition came to fruition in the summer of 1988 after almost two years of discussion between representatives from the American Society of Civil Engineers and Master Builders Inc. The 2014 competition was held at the University of South Florida’s main campus (canoe display) with the race portion held at Harney Park in the Tampa Bay Bypass Canal in Tampa.
The objectives of the competition are to provide civil engineering students an opportunity to gain hands-on, practical experience and leadership skills by working with concrete mix designs and project management; to build awareness of the versatility and durability of concrete as a construction material among civil engineering students, educators and practitioners, as well as the general public; and to build awareness of concrete technology and application among civil engineering students, educators and practitioners, as well as the general concrete industry.
Canoes must be constructed and finished by the students themselves and are restricted to 22 feet long and 36 inches wide. Each team can have up to five male and five female participants. A total of five races are held: women’s endurance, men’s endurance, women’s sprint, men’s sprint, and co-ed sprint.