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About the South
African Competition
The first
concrete canoe competition in South Africa was held on November 22, 1989.
Way back then instructions were simple: entrants had to design and construct
a two-man canoe to race over a 500 m U-shaped course. The binder used in
construction had to be Portland cement on its own or in combinations with
extenders.
In total, 18
canoes made it to the lake that day but only 16 competed, as two sank before
reaching the starting line. This left eight craft in the academic category,
and eight in the industry category. After their respective heats and finals,
a free-for-all open race was held at the end of the day.
Cash prizes were
awarded for the top three placements in the academic category while winners
in the industry category received trophies. At the end of the day, it was
the University of Pretoria team who took top honors by winning both their
own category and the open event. Further details on this inaugural
competition can be found here.
Following the
first concrete regatta, it was noted in Construction World that,
"Overall, the regatta was a splendid success and I've no doubt it will
become a regular - and keenly contested - event in the concrete industry's
calendar."
Although it has,
things have changed sine then. In 2012, for example, students were
required to design and construct cement-based boats of the ‘paddle-ski’
kind. This was a departure from the traditional ‘canoe-like’ craft
that had been specified in the past, in order to test the students’
application of concrete technology and project management.
Nowadays, the
construction of the boats is carried out according to very strict criteria,
the most important of which was that they must float! In 2013, the boats had
to be made from a freely available, commonly-used cement, mortar or
concrete. Lightweight aggregate could be used. The binding agent had to be
predominantly cementitious in composition.
Limited
quantities of other materials were allowed, provided that they did not
replace the binding action of the cement. The strength and stiffness of the
boat had to be entirely due to the cementing action between hardened
concrete or mortar and its reinforcement. Non-concrete parts were not
allowed to contribute to the strength or structural integrity of the boat
and could be removed at the judges' discretion. There were more than 100
entries and, as seen here,
the competition was covered by Concrete-TV.
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 SOUTH
AFRICA
If your concrete canoe competition is not
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2015 South African Concrete Boat Race
26th Anniversary Edition
Homestead Lake, Benoni, September 12, 2015
Inland Branch
Winds Down 2015 Racing Season
The Benoni Sailing Club. Photo by Michelle
Fick.
The Inland Branch of the Concrete
Society of Southern Africa (CSSA) will hold the 26th Anniversary
Celebration of their Annual Concrete Boat Race Day on September 12, 2015
at the Benoni Sailing Club on Homestead Lake,
Benoni. The new venue greeted hundreds of students, members and
their guests at the 2014 Annual Concrete Boat Race Day. It was selected
because of its prime location, generous size and its amenities – all of
which easily accommodated this growing event in the Inland Branch calendar
of activities.
2015
South African Concrete Boat Race Information
2014 South African Concrete Boat Race
25th Anniversary Edition
Homestead Lake, Benoni, September 13, 2014
Johannesburg
Defends South African Title
The University of Johannesburg fielded "The
Kraken."
Students from the University of
Johannesburg successfully defended their national title at the 25th Anniversary
Celebration of the Annual Concrete Boat Race Day. The competition was
sponsored by the Inland Branch of the Concrete
Society of Southern Africa (CSSA) and was held
at the Benoni Sailing Club on Homestead Lake,
Benoni.
For the majority of events,
the boat had to be a two-man paddle ski
type craft, based on the student construction rules, which was raced
on a relay basis.
2014
SA Concrete Boat Race Results
2014
South African Concrete Boat Race Information
2013
South African Concrete Boat Race
24th Edition
Victoria Lake, Germiston
September 14, 2013
Johannesburg wins Construction
Category and Student Race
The Inland Branch held their 24th
Annual Concrete Boat Race Day at the Victoria Lake Club in Germiston, near
Johannesburg on September 29th.
The University of Johannesburg's winner in the
best product category.
There were more than 100 entries
in this competition and the event was covered by Concrete-TV.
There were more than 100 entries in
this competition.
2013
SA Concrete Boat Race Results
2013
Concrete-TV Coverage
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About
the CSSA
The Concrete Society of
Southern Africa NPC (CSSA) is registered as a non-profit Public
Benefit Organization which promotes excellence and innovation in the
use of concrete and related products and services. The Society also
provides a forum for networking and technology transfer between its
members and local and international affiliates.
Individual as well as
Company memberships are available which offer unique benefits to all
those interested in, or having a passion for, concrete. Every member
of the CSSA is entitled to the following:
- The right to vote at the Annual
General Meetings and Extraordinary Meetings. This includes the
right to vote for the election of Board Members and Branch
Committees.
- The right to nominate for election
to the branch committee in their province of residence.
- Free issues of Concrete Beton, The
Source Book and Concrete Beton Fulton Awards Edition - hard copies
and on-line.
- Listing in The Source Book.
- A discount on all fees for seminars
and conferences.
- A discount on the purchase price of
printed CSSA publications.
- Free copies of electronic versions
of most of the CSSA’s publications either on CD-ROM or a
download from the CSSA website.
- Discounted rates on publications of
our International Partner, namely the American Concrete Institute
(ACI).
The
Concrete Society of Southern Africa NPC realizes the importance of
being able to engage with students who are the future lifeblood of the
concrete industry. Being able to provide services that are valued by
students is at the forefront of the Society’s agenda. Student
membership fees are sponsored by AfriSam.
The Annual Concrete Society of Southern
Africa's Boat Race Competition is organized by Society's Inland
Branch. The event is the highlight for the students from the various
tertiary education institutions' built environment departments. It
brings together members that constitute the Concrete Society and
serves to introduce the students to the cement and concrete industry
in a fun atmosphere.
Additional information about the CSSA
can be found here.
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