The high school competition in the construction and sailing of concrete canoes is inspired by the international university competitions that were established in 1971 at the University of Illinois. Both the results achieved in individual competitions and the overall construction of the boat – its durability, weight and design – are evaluated. The canoes are built from so-called lightweight concrete, where a specific filler is used instead of regular aggregate, which can be, for example, expanded glass.
Thanks to close cooperation with the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague, which has extensive experience with university concrete canoe competitions, high schools also participated in the competition. Under the guidance of experts, students first designed and built their own concrete canoe in the pilot year. This success was followed up by the first official year of the new traveling competition for high school students last year.
Last year, it was organized by the VOŠS and SPŠS Dušní in Prague and was held in Šeberák in Prague. This year, it is organized by the Otrokovice Secondary Vocational School and will take place at Štěrkoviště in Otrokovice. The competition is designed as a two-day event, with a non-public technical section on the first day. During this session, teams present the preparation and production of canoes, including the composition of the concrete mixture. On the second day, the canoe races themselves take place on the water.
"This year's theme of the Concrete Canoe competition is CSH - Calcium Silicate Hydrate. In the construction industry, it refers to a substance that is formed during the hydration of cement and is the main source of strength and durability of concrete. It is thanks to CSH that the original mixture becomes a material capable of bearing loads and resisting time. However, for us, CSH also takes on a second meaning. In the competition, we understand it as a symbol of the path that students take when designing and building a concrete canoe: Create - Shape - Harden. To create, shape and improve. Just as CSH gradually gives strength to concrete, project work develops technical knowledge, creativity, teamwork and perseverance. That is why we chose CSH as the central theme of this year's edition. It reminds us that behind every successful concrete canoe there is not only the right recipe and quality material, but also determination, cooperation and hundreds of hours of honest work. The same principle that gives strength to concrete also helps shape future technicians, designers and engineers," says the director of the Otrokovice Secondary Industrial School Libor Basel. An eight-member student team is working on this year's concrete canoe, whose work began in the fall of last year, and the individual tasks must follow each other quickly and smoothly. "We collaborated with our friendly school, the Josef Sousedík Secondary School in Vsetín, to create the canoe, where a wooden mold was created according to our designs for the actual production of the vessel. The students then concreted it. Before the actual concreting, we used concrete samples of various compositions to search for the most optimal concrete mixture recipe," says Otakar Pancner, deputy director for vocational training at the Otrokovice Secondary School.
The concrete canoe sailing competition is a premiere for the Zlín region. “The Concrete Canoe Competition is an exceptional example of how technical education can be combined with creativity, teamwork and practical skills. Here, students gain experience that cannot be replaced by any textbook – they learn to design, solve problems, take responsibility and bring their ideas to a successful outcome. It is precisely such projects that help prepare the young generation for the challenges of the future,” says Jindra Mikuláštíková, member of the Zlín Region Council for Education, who took over the patronage of the event.
Hana Večerková, mayor of Otrokovice, is also happy about the competition: “I am glad that such an original and at the same time professionally focused competition will take place in Otrokovice, which connects technical education, creativity and teamwork of students. It is admirable how young people are able to translate their ideas into a real project and then present it directly in practice. I believe that similar events can be an inspiration for other students and at the same time show that technical fields have a future and can be very attractive.”
“We highly value the cooperation with secondary schools and are pleased that it has been successfully launched,” says Prof. Petr Štemberk from the Department of Concrete and Masonry Structures at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, who has participated in the concrete canoe competition with his university students several times and is also a professional guarantor of cooperation in this area with secondary school students. For example, during production, he advises students on the composition of the concrete mixture, the production technology and the actual concreting process.
Although a concrete canoe of your own looks simple at first glance, designing it is a demanding technical task that takes several months. “Designing a concrete canoe is not just about the shape, but about finding the right combination of material, structure and production process. Over the course of several months, students will experience how the project changes from the first design to the finished boat. The result is a functional canoe that must stand up not only technically, but also when racing,” explains Ing. Michaela Frantová, Ph.D., from the Department of Concrete and Masonry Structures, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Czech Technical University, who has been collaborating with high schools on the preparation of concrete canoes since the beginning of the competition.
Since last year, the individual participating high schools have been handing over the organization of the competition to each other, with the main coordinator of the event remaining the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague. It will continue to provide technical support, mentoring and organize introductory workshops in January for the competition teams to prepare the concept of the entire event. This will connect the participating high schools not only in a unique competition, but also create an opportunity for their further cooperation within various projects.
The concrete canoe competition will take place on Wednesday, June 17, 2026 at Štěrkoviště in Otrokovice from approximately 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., depending on the weather. The event is open to the public. The competition teams are evaluated according to the design, creativity and execution of the concrete canoe, the technology of its production, the presentation presenting their own project and the order of the teams in the concrete canoe races. The event program is here: https://www.fsv.cvut.cz/betonova-kanoe/.