A lighter design helped a team of UWindsor engineering students find success in the Canadian National Concrete Canoe Competition, May 8 to 11 in Quebec.

An award for best quality canoe that could be mass-produced led the team to an overall showing of third among Ontario universities after an evaluation on academic, technical, and sports elements.

This year’s entry weighed just 250 pounds, a significant reduction from last year’s 800 pounds.

“The improvements to the design made the canoe hydrodynamic,” said fourth-year civil engineering major Jocelyn Boisimer, part of the geometric design team. “It was easier to control in the water and that was because of the different casting method compared to last year.”

The team parlayed that into success in the perimeter races, finishing sixth with women paddlers and seventh in the men’s race.

Sponsored by the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, the competition challenges students from across the country to test their design prowess, shaping the dense material into a fully functional canoe ready to race in the water. More than 200 students from 16 Canadian universities participated.

Beyond the technical experience, the experience gave participants a chance to interact with peers from other schools, exchange ideas and learning, and bond over social activities.

Luca Quenneville, a fourth-year civil engineering student who helped determine the concrete mix, enjoyed this aspect of the event.

“The competition was fierce yet inclusive, spanning three days and culminating in a race day,” he said. “The atmosphere was charged with energy and camaraderie, as teams from various schools cheered each other on, fostering a supportive environment.”