Who Invented The Concrete Canoe?

Concrete canoes are a type of boat made of concrete, typically used for engineering competitions. The 19th century saw wood-and-canvas canoes surpass birch bark designs, and later, wartime efforts led to the birth of aluminum canoes. Today’s iterations incorporate concrete and other poured surfaces, with the University of Toronto’s first concrete canoe launched in 1973.

The first concrete boat was built by French farmer J.L. Lambot in 1885 and presented at the World Fair in Paris. To achieve resonance without falling apart, the canoe, known as Survivor, must be made from concrete. The concrete is made up of a mix of Portland cement, glass micro-beads, and glass micro-beads.

The first concrete boats were two dinghies built in France in 1848. After that, many barges and a few ships were made from concrete. The Norwegians built a concrete canoe.

The ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition provides students with a unique opportunity to gain hands-on practical experience while testing their skills with concrete mix. The University of Maine has been building and racing concrete canoes since the 1970s. The basic idea was to start with reinforcement and mold it.

Matt Eggnick, a civil engineering graduate from the class of 2023, discusses the American Society of Civil Engineers and the importance of concrete canoes in civil engineering education. The competition involves constructing two full-scale concrete canoes and preparing a project.