We build canoes.

We Are Not Sustainable

May 29, 2010

We are not a sustainable company. Every canoe that we build results in nearly half a dumpster of waste and 320 pounds of CO2 emissions. That's before we take into account the energy intensive process inherent to the manufacture and shipping of our raw materials. We at Kamanu are painfully aware that our canoes are harmful to the environment. Yet we keep building them. Everyday we build a complete canoe. Raw goods come in the door and canoes go out the door. The process never ends.

Before we began we had visions of donating 10% of our profits to environmentally conscious non-profits. We thought that we'd be able to figure out ways to re-use most of our waste. We believed that our shop would be covered in solar panels. That we would be a bastion of sustainable business practices in Hawai'i. All of that changed when we realized the realities of manufacturing. When you build something by hand, you're dealing with an almost non-existant margin. After every employee is paid, after all our materials and overhead are accounted for, and once we've given the IRS their money, less than one cent off every dollar is left. That portion of a cent has to be saved for shop improvements, for rainy days, and for the salaries of the two managing partners of the company. Unfortunately, it doesn't leave much room for environmental initiatives.

However, limited as we are, we have recently made new strides in a few areas:

1) 100% of the electricity used in the manufacture of our canoes comes from either wind or solar. We purchase Renewable Energy Certificates which are a complex market based solution to ensure that our electricity is coming from renewable sources.

2) We have just begun an initiative where we are planting a native tree for every canoe that we build. As of today, we have more than 50 Koa trees in the ground, and are planting them at a rate of five per week. Not only is the Koa tree of vital cultural importance to outrigger canoeing, but each tree will ultimately absorb up to 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.

At the end of the day, we feel that our contribution to the world is what we build. Every canoe is a vehicle to bring an individual closer to the natural world. It's a pathway for a healthier lifestyle and it's a release from our daily lives. Regardless, we're still going to spend the rest of our lives striving for the dream of sustainability: the idea that it's possible to build a canoe that's net impact is positive. Meaning it was built from renewable materials, using renewable energy, and that one day it will finish its life cycle either as a new canoe or by being returned to the Earth. It's how the canoes that populated the pacific were built, and it's how we hope to one day build our's. Until that day, we will remain accountable for the damage that we do.

Photos!

December 19, 2009

After a year and a half of building the Pueo, we've finally had the chance for a real photo shoot! Trevor Clark was kind enough to come and jump in the water outside of Portlock/China Walls with his gear. This was his first time shooting outrigger paddlers. We think he did an awesome job.

We've only updated the homepage so far, but look for some new pictures on the rest of the site soon.

Did you call us?

December 18, 2009

We apologize to anyone who left a message over the last week and has not heard back. While we are not always able to answer the phone at Kamanu Composites, we pride ourselves on promptly returning all voicemails. However, due to a glitch in our voicemail transcription service, every phone message from December 12th until today has been automatically deleted without ever being heard. Our phone is working properly again, so please call back if you've tried unsuccessfully to get through to us.

Aukahi

December 02, 2009

We would like to send out an open invitation for the blessing of our new V-1 canoe design, the Aukahi. The event will be held on Friday, December 11th at 5:00 pm at our Kailua facility.

After years of talking, numerous designs, and months of final adjustments we are ready to begin limited production of our new V-1. There will be several Aukahi’s available for immediate sale, and orders will be opened up at the same time. In addition to the blessing by Uncle Bobby Puakea, there will individualized stroke analysis sessions with John Puakea, a grand opening of the Kamanu Outlet, as well as food, music, and videos. Everyone at Kamanu Composites will be available for discussion, feedback, and suggestions. If you will be able to attend, please RSVP to info@kamanucomposites so that we can plan accordingly for the food. We hope to see you there.

V1

August 23, 2009

The lease on our shop was signed just hours before a trip to Tahiti for the Super Aito in 2007. Literally, the very first thing that went through the doors of the shop was a V1; straight from Tahiti and broken in three pieces.
Kamanu Composites was founded on the dream to build canoes, and after that trip, a rudderless V1 became a part of that dream. In Tahiti we saw an intensity and passion that we believed stems from the traditional V1 and we hoped to bring some of that back to Hawai'i. However, our dream to immediately build a V1 quietly faded along with our memories of Tahiti. The V1 we brought back remained untouched in the corner of the warehouse as Kamanu Composites grew up around it.

After some time we decided to develop a V1 of our own design. We've done numerous iterations of computer aided design, built and tested two working prototypes and even had the final prototype broken in half by a truck. Months of final design, shaping, and refining have been done and now our V1 is finally approaching completion. Molding is now in process. Below are some photos of the final plug.

The first several demo canoes should be available at the HVA race on September 12th.

Prices, availability, and a name will be announced at a later date.