Buoyed by a strong showing in the technical phases of the competition, The University of Alabama in Huntsville's concrete canoe team claimed its fourth national championship in six years on Saturday. California State University at Sacramento finished second, less than one point ahead of Clemson University of South Carolina. The defending national champions from the Florida Institute of Technology finished fourth. Technical events include a design report, a display and an oral presentation.
Judges also grade the quality of work put into the canoe.
Although Clemson swept all five of the racing events, it wasn't enough to overcome UAH's lead. The UAH boat was the longest and lightest at the championship. Using balsa wood strips as reinforcement and special materials within the lightweight concrete, UAH engineering students built a boat that is 23 feet long but weighs only 49 pounds. If the same materials and techniques were used to build an Olympic sprint boat within the current length restrictions, the boat would be below the minimum legal weight. By comparison, the other 21 canoes which qualified in regional competitions for the championship races, which are sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers and MasterBuilders of Cleveland, OH, averaged just over 18 feet long and weighed an average of 112 pounds.