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.
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.
July 27, 2009
We cut through over 100 feet of carbon fiber and s-glass every day at Kamanu Composites. All of that cutting unavoidably results in a fair amount scrap material, most of which we have no use for. But you might. If you are ever in need of some small pieces of either carbon or s-glass, please stop by the shop.
April 24, 2009
As the 2009 OC-1 season comes to a close, we’d like to thank everyone for the overwhelming support throughout the last year. The extreme dedication of the OC-1 community has been evident from the first race of the season through to the last. We went from huddling in the rain waiting for the weather to clear at the Pa’a Thanksgiving Race, to duking it out on the Maunalua Bay lake that was the Koa Nui Race, to putting our heads down and battling the wind for 32 miles in the Solo. While the nation goes through the worst recession in memory and Hawai’i barely makes it through a season of dismal OC-1 racing conditions, the paddling community has persevered. We truly appreciate it every time someone calls (we apologize for not always answering the phone, but we promise to call back as soon as we get your message) or stops by the shop. We know that purchasing a canoe is a huge commitment, so we truly appreciate every person who has supported Kamanu Composites in these hard times. Let’s hope that the 2010 season has a little more wind (in the right direction) and that the world economy begins to recover in time for all of us to enjoy that season.
