This gallery is Part 5 of an eight-part series, Engineering Experiential Learning, running throughout spring and summer 2015.

On May 10, more than 250 engineering students from 12 universities across Canada converged in Toronto to make the unfloatable float. They raced canoes made of concrete — boats they designed and built themselves — for the 2015 Canadian National Concrete Canoe Competition (CNCCC).

Hosted by U of T Engineering, the competition involved students from a diverse range of engineering disciplines, including civil, mechanical, industrial and materials science. These teams spent the last year constructing their own canoes, with the CNCCC serving as a showcase of their technical, creative and collaborative abilities.

See the canoes in action:

“The CNCCC not only provides teams an opportunity to share a year’s worth of hard work with the public, but it offers a great chance for us to showcase the city and its multiculturalism with students from across the country,” said U of T civil engineering graduate Nigel Fung (CivE 1T5 + PEY), the commissioner of this year’s competition.

Global News, CTV News, CBC Radio, CP24 and Fairchild TV joined for the action.