Concrete Canoe regional competition comes to the UW

By Julia Davis / Photos by Peter Mackenzie-Helnwein

The University of Washington hosted student teams from across the Pacific Northwest for a weekend of displays, presentations and races.

UW Concrete Canoe paddlers return to shore during race events at Lake Sammamish State Park.

Teams race concrete canoes at Lake Sammamish State Park, with the UW’s Grand Coulee in the foreground.

Montana State University displayed Flessie, a Flathead Lake Monster-inspired concrete canoe with diamond surface patterns and a three-dimensional lake monster tail, during the campus showcase on the HUB lawn.

University of Idaho team members displayed The 1926 during the campus showcase.

Saint Martin’s University Concrete Canoe team members shared their canoe with visitors during the campus showcase.

Gonzaga University displayed Hoopin’ Harpoon, a basketball-themed concrete canoe.

Gonzaga University team members carry Hoopin’ Harpoon to the lake before race events.

Washington State University paddlers race their concrete canoe, Crimson Comet Sr.

Oregon Tech paddlers race The Floating Frank, their hot dog-themed concrete canoe.

Oregon State University team members prepare Aurum, an aspen tree-themed concrete canoe, for race events.

Portland State University paddlers race their Oregon chub-inspired concrete canoe, named for a small fish native to Oregon.

Montana State University paddlers race Flessie, their lake monster-inspired canoe.

Montana State University team members celebrate in Flessie during race events.

UW Concrete Canoe team members cheer from shore during race events at Lake Sammamish State Park.

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Concrete canoes took over the University of Washington this April as it hosted the Concrete Canoe Competition in the 2026 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Pacific Northwest Student Symposium.

Held April 10-12, the regional competition brought student teams from across the Pacific Northwest to the UW's Seattle campus and Lake Sammamish State Park for a weekend of technical presentations, prototype displays and canoe racing.

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Many of the weekend’s activities took place on campus, where teams displayed their canoes on the HUB lawn and shared the technical work behind their designs. Canoe themes ranged from lake monsters and basketball to hot dogs and aspen trees, giving teams a chance to showcase both engineering and creativity. The competition continued at Lake Sammamish State Park, where teams raced their concrete canoes in sprint and slalom events.

The ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition gives civil engineering students hands-on experience in concrete mix design, project management, hydrodynamic design and teamwork. Each year, teams design, build and race canoes made of concrete, combining engineering skill with a long-running ASCE tradition.

UW Concrete Canoe also had a strong showing with its entry, Grand Coulee, placing first overall at the regional competition. The team earned top marks in the project proposal and sprint race categories, along with second-place finishes in technical presentation, final product prototype and both slalom races.

With the win, UW Concrete Canoe advances to the national competition — the ASCE Civil Engineering Student Championships — which will be held June 25-27 at Fairmont State University in Fairmont, West Virginia.

Originally published June 25, 2026

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