"University of Alabama in Huntsville - Team UAH"
(1st place overall)

Product (2nd):

Name Of Canoe: Survivor
Length: 22.3 feet
Weight: 76 lb 
Color: blue with multicolored designs

Vital Stats:

UAH is located in Huntsville, Alabama.  A member of the largest and most competitive region in the country, they have proudly represented the Southeast Region twelve times at the national level (1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001).  Never finishing lower than seventh at nationals, their five national wins (1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2001) and three second place finishes (1992, 1997, and 1999) give testament to the school's survival skills.  UAH has finished nine times in the top five and remains the only school to have swept the National Competition (1994).

Display (3rd):

Canoe/Materials/Facts:

"Survivor" was a strategically tuned structure designed to withstand the rigors of this competition.  It was designed to surge forward between strokes and swim.  After each paddling stoke, the energy stored in the deformed shape was transformed into a forward propulsive component.

The hull was made by suspending three layers of a very strong and stiff graphite fiber mesh in a relatively weak and flexible concrete matrix.  When the boat was paddled, the graphite and the concrete flexed together.  But since the concrete moved more easily, the fibers in the graphite mesh were forced to absorb most of the load.  This unique interaction prevented the concrete form from cracking and, when property designed, the composite section could withstand more stress and absorb more energy than an advanced aerospace composite made using materials such as graphite and epoxy. 

These attributes were demonstrated when two team members helped to produce the first reinforced concrete rocket by building the fuselage using the same materials and construction techniques that were used to fabricate the concrete canoe.  They launched their vehicle successfully on April 19, 2001.