Michigan Concrete Canoe

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Interested in 2006-2007

If you are looking for a fun project for the next academic year consider joining MCCT. We are coming off of a fantastic year and looking for new faces to continue the success. You do not need to have any knowledge about concrete so do not be intimidated about stopping by one of our meetings.

The team is currently on its annual summer break, but its returning members can be reached via e-mail at mcct@umich.edu if you have any questions. MCCT will be in attendance at Northfest (North campus Festifall) in September at which point its mass meeting schedule will be announced. Also meeting take place in GGBrown Building by the Civil Engineering Department and the times will be posed on this web page in September.

Feel free to check out last year's competition rules and regs (below) to find out more about what the competition entails

2006 Competition: Ada, OH

Despite a year of challenges the few dedicated members of the team managed to pull off the best entry to the regional competition in years. With its newly fabricated rolling display/transportation cart and a trailer courtesy of Human Powered Sub, the canoe traveled in style down to Northern Ohio University the site of this year’s regional competition.

In the morning aesthetics and display judging took place showing that MCCT was close to achieving construction quality near top competitors. With surprises in the submergence tests MCCTSX-06 had no difficulties rising to the surface although it was quite suspenseful when 4 people entered for the co-ed race. In the afternoon, continuing its excellence in presentation, Nate and Lori had no problems making their way through a barely finished product taking 3rd place for the third year.

On Saturday morning after scrounging together paddlers, MCCT competed well in all races despite the lack of practice. The highlight of the day was when our women’s sprit team nipped out Akron for the 3rd place finished. During the race things were close as the two teams weaved back and forth getting closer to one another. At the end, both teams were aiming for the final buoy line ending with UM crossing and Akron ramming MCCTSX-06. Akron’s bow took heavy damage with a large chunk falling off, but MCCTSX-06 simply washed of the competitors paint leaving with out a scratch. The team finished 4th overall and looks to continue its success next year.

MCCT 2006

This year with one of the smallest teams in a few years comprised of 90% new faces, MCCT was able to keep its techniques and design under wraps until recently. As it can be quite difficult to hide an 18ft canoe and large portions of formwork even if it is designed to be stealth like. The team was able to keep the canoe's shape hidden from the public for much of the year as it was conceived of in the virtual world of a computer and stored on site with generous security. As the year rolled on it became increasingly difficult to hide the shape as formwork was constructed. Fortunately, the formwork was designed to be modular so only pieces of it could be worked on with without giving up too much information. Now that the canoe is in the finishing phase and out in the open for the UM CEE students to see, the MCCTSX-06 has officially been released to the public in the form of a few low quality images. Although there are still many questions as to its abilities, one can be sure that it is the best thing to come out of MCCT since "The Rhino".

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2005 In Brief

After disaster struck in the transportation of the canoe to the 2004 competition in Akron, Ohio the team redeemed itself making a good showing as hosts of the 2005 Regional Competition in April. The returning team comprised of a small group of veterans took on the challenge to make a stronger canoe while pushing the the use of digital fabrication techniques. With formwork frame and surfaces being modeled in the computer and cut by a CNC router MCCT 2005 was able to make a canoe that was stronger than the previous year, but also heavier. In the competition they were able to take third place in both the report and presentation competitions, but had a hard time steering the overweight canoe. While the team did not place overall as well as they would have hoped, the team made great strides in the academic portion and in its production process for next years team to surpass.

2004 Competiton

After a long 7 months of experimentation and construction MCC packed its bags and made the trip south to Akron, OH for the 2004 Regional Concrete Canoe Competition. With all members finally escaping the stress of school and feeling relief from the completed canoe project the relaxed atmosphere changed to shock as the canoe truck rolled into the hotel parking lot at 11pm. The canoe had split in half during the journey and all seemed lost. The next morning MCC carried the two halves into the U of Akron gym to be displayed for the first round of judging of the competition. As the morning moved into afternoon and oral presentations finished up MCC found itself thinking of ways to fix the unfixable canoe. That night, disregarding the official disqualification, in the middle of a hotel parking lot, in a truck MCC resurrected the canoe super plasticizer so that it could take its maiden voyage.

With steel bars and mesh bolting the two halves together MCC triumphantly carried is canoe to the waters edge to the amazement of the other teams. The officials kept uttering the words 'officially disqualified', but they only fell on deaf ears as MCC passed its submergence test and was allowed to race to the joy of team members. As the races came and went super plasticizer held strong as MCC placed plastic wrap and duct tape to seal the leaks. In the end MCC completed every race and never once finished last.

With the competition completed and all MCC members ready for a night of celebration super plasticizer was loaded on a truck to prepare for its journey home only to make its final resting place a dumpster.

Despite the hardships of the 2004 Concrete Canoe Competition, this years team rewarded departing members with a story to remember.

For more 2004 images visit the photo gallery