RPI Concrete Canoe​
NEWS & EVENTS
The Mold
How did we get the canoe we did?
RPI Traditions
One of our biggest problems from previous years was the course texture on the outside of the boat. This texture resulted from the use of male molds. Male molds are large pieces of foam that fit inside a canoe. To create your canoe using a male mold you manually put concrete on section by section on the outside of the mold. With this technique there is no way to have a smooth outer surface because there is nothing to mold the outside while it cures. This also led to a huge amount of time spent trying to sand the outside, putting previous team weeks behind schedule. To fix this problem, we decided to use a rubber/silicon female mold which we will manually pour concrete on the inside ranging from 1/2" to 2" thick. In order to make the female mold, however, we have to carve our male mold from last year, to the new size we want, then we will pour the rubber mixture on, then follow it will a layer of fiberglass for support, then steel rods will be placed for a rigid body, and finally one more layer of fiber glass is sprayed on. This process will take a couple of days including time for the mold to set, but it should save us up to a week in time at the end that we would have used sanding. It also should reduce our drag tremendously since we will have a smooth outer surface. For detailed instructions on the rubber mold making process, you can visit the video linked below.
Our theme this year was inspired by RPI Traditions cards which are sold in our local bookstore. Not many people know about the traditions RPI once had since only the Big Red Freakout, GM Week, or Grand Marshal Week, and Tap Day remain today. Up until the 1900's RPI was home to many crazy events, the most famous being the Cane Rush. The Cane Rush took place on the first Saturday or Monday of the school year after a five inning baseball game between the freshmen and sophomores. Members of the two classes stripped to the waist and greased themselves with Vaseline, axle grease, etc. The two sides were arranged about one hundred yards apart. A hickory cane held by four men, two from each class, was arranged in the center. At a pistol shot, everyone else rushed to the cane. After a seven minute battle, the class having the most hands on the cane was declared the winner. The winning class number was carved on the cane. RPI had numerous other rushes at the beginning of each year, mostly between upper classman and lower classman. They also had things such as Tap Day which still exists today but in a modern variation. Originally Tap Day was when members of a distinguished club, the Phalanx, would silently go through a crowd and tap new members based on their academic standing and campus involvement. There was also a Calculus Cremation, when students would write obituaries and have elaborate memorial services for their books at the end of the year. Many people are unaware of RPI Traditions, so we hope that our canoe will introduce younger generations to this rich culture and bring a smile to those who remember it. For more information on RPI Traditions please visit the link below.
