The Concrete Canoe hull design team is responsible for designing the actual shape of the canoe. Each year, we attempt to design the “optimal” canoe, given the constraints of the competition.
The design process consists of several stages. First the team must decide on a rough geometry; how long will the canoe be? how wide? how deep? Decisions made here will affect the rest of the team, especially the paddlers who will ultimately be the ones racing the canoe. While a wider canoe may be more stable, for example, it will experience more resistance in the water, so it is important to understand the priorities of the paddling team. A base set of coordinates is generated through a C++ software that the team developed in 2008 named PANDA, while a python software, developed by the team in 2019 name POSSUM, will iteratively optimize the canoe design to suit the teams priorities.
Second, it is necessary to model the canoe. This model is usually created using 3D computer aided design (CAD) software, which can be milled at a CNC machine to generate the pieces of Styrofoam that will make up the body of the mould.
Hull design for the University of Toronto Concrete Canoe team is a comprehensive process; from initial concept to final product, we are dedicated to creating a top-performing canoe, and equally importantly, to having fun along the way!
Concrete Canoe
