American Concrete Institute (ACI) – University of Toronto Chapter
Concrete Canoe Team
The U of T Concrete Canoe Team is a fun interdisciplinary team that designs, builds, and races a fully functional concrete canoe at the annual national competition. Team members spend their time during the year recruiting new members, securing sponsorships, running events, training to paddle, learning to cast concrete, doing analysis of hull designs and concrete mixes, preparing a technical report and detailed engineering notebook, as well as actually building and refining the canoe (sanding, decorating, sealing). In the past few years the team has consistently performed among the top in Canada and best in Ontario.
Key Accomplishments for 2025-2026
Canoe Casting: On March 1st, 2026 our team casted all the concrete for the canoe construction in a single day. This event was open and advertised to all, and over 40 members of the engineering community stopped by throughout the 12-hour event to help cast. These included Concrete Canoe executives, general members, and post-grad students. Members were able to experience concrete mixing (with provided PPE), hands-on casting, and understand the different aspects of the team. The overall casting day experience was also a celebration of Skule spirit where we gathered undergraduate and graduate students from all engineering disciplines to collaboratively complete the canoe construction. This event would not have been possible without CPSIF resources.
CNCCC 2026: This May, our team went to the University of Moncton in New Brunswick to participate in the Canadian National Concrete Canoe Competition (CNCCC). We competed against 23 other Canadian universities and placed 13th overall, improving on our placement from last year. This is thanks to our examination of our in-house software used to design our canoe. As well as the improvements to our final concrete mix and construction and finishing methods to such an extent that our casted canoe used 7L less concrete despite the canoe being 16.5% larger in volume than last year. These improvements were made in part thanks to funding from CPSIF, as were the funds needed to register to compete in the CNCCC, allowing for us to better represent the University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering.
CPSIF Funding Impact
Thanks to CPSIF funding, we were able to purchase needed PPE, concrete materials, and sanding equipment to safely cast and finish the canoe. In an improvement over last year, the team transitioned from disposable to reusable PPE, including the acquisition of 20 nitrile-coated gloves and reusable respirators. Additionally, the funding we received allowed us to procure EVA plastic sheets to implement a new tile casting method, ensuring a consistent hull thickness. Overall, CPSIF funding made Casting Day a safe and enjoyable event, and let us produce a higher quality canoe.
Concrete Canoe executives at the team’s first exec meeting. Photographer unknown.
Concrete Canoe executives and general members casting the canoe. Photographer unknown.
Concrete Canoe executives and general members casting the canoe. Photographer unknown.
Concrete Canoe Race Day. Photographer unknown.
Concrete Canoe Presentation Day at the CNCCC. Left to Right: Michael Atkinson (Co-Captain), Dylan Minneker (Mix Lead), Lucas Gaspari (Hull and Structural Design Lead). Photographed by Madeleine Rebello
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