Donation Helps Concrete Canoe Dreams Stay Afloat

The Concrete Canoe Competition is already a challenge in a normal year, but this year’s competition presented a unique set of hurdles for contestants to overcome.

Supply chain issues have been a global problem and 14 students from Kennesaw State University experienced that firsthand when their ordered materials were delayed by over three months. The students found themselves in a bind.

Typical concrete surface sealers can take weeks to apply and dry but that’s when one company stepped up to save the students from missing the competition.

According to Alchemo, the TechCrete 2500 waterproofing agent allowed the students from Kennesaw State to seal their concrete canoe in just one day—cutting out 2-3 weeks of work.

“We’re proud to have been able to assist these ambitious students at Kennesaw State University, and had complete confidence that our TechCrete 2500 product would prove successful in this unique application,” said Baggio. “We look forward to helping them in future competitions as needed.”

The concrete canoe made by the students from Kennesaw State weighs around 200 pounds, according to Alchemco, and was entered in time for the 2022 Concrete Canoe Competition.

The Concrere Canoe Competition was stablished by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1988 and requires college and university students to design, build and successfully race a concrete canoe. The students are reviewed on canoe and display design, presentation, a design paper, and a technical handbook on the canoe. Each year, the parameters of the competition change and students are forced to tackle new engineering challenges.