Pueo Owner's Guide

Posted on Sep 27, 2015

Congratulations on purchasing a new Pueo and thank you very much for the support. We pride ourselves on hand-crafting the best canoes possible, so if you have any questions or feedback on your canoe, please don’t hesitate to ask.

As you unpack your Pueo and take it out for the first time, here is a quick overview of what you should know:

1) Installing your rudder

1. Insert the rudder into the rudder hole.
2. Place all of the supplied plastic washers on top of the shaft. They should line up just under the square notches on the rudder shaft.
3. Then place the t-bar on top, then the lock washer, and then the lock nut. Make sure that no washers go under the hull.
4. Tighten firmly with a crescent wrench. With the nut firmly in place, the movement of the rudder should not be restricted and there should be no up and down movement of the rudder in the sleeve.

2) Loading and Transporting your canoe

Most minor damage occurs in handling and transport. Be careful loading your canoe, especially in the wind. Always remember to strap the canoe, yet be careful to not overtighten. Make sure to tie off the loose end of the strap to ensure that there is no slippage through the buckle and that it doesn’t get caught on anything as it flaps in the wind.

3) Basic use

• Be careful and aware of your rudder if launching in a shallow area.
• When you flip back over after a huli, let the ama down gently vs slamming into the water.
• These canoes are made to handle windy ocean conditions. But stay out of breaking waves. The most common damage we see is from people being ejected off of their canoe and landing on the ama. Once your body mass is in motion like that, it's hard to avoid damaging something.

4) Rigging

1. Put the front ‘iako into the canoe, then into the ama.
2. Next, put the back ‘iako into the canoe, and then into the back of the ama.
3. Crank that back ama screw pretty tight on the ama so it can't slide.

The heavier you are, the deeper the back ‘iako should slide into the ama-- the lighter you are, the shallower it should be. If you are brand new and want the most stable setting, push everything to the bottom. Most likely you will be leaning left and want to eventually get to a more level setting for your body.

Most people from 120 lbs to 185 lbs use the middle setting in the front of the ama. If you’re heavier, try the bottom hole, and lighter people may want to use the top hole. Adjust the back until your body is level in flat water and the trim of the ama looks roughly like this picture:

If you're above 220 lbs and can't get the boat to rig level, or it's always leaning right, let us know as there are some modifications to the iako we could do to help you.

For a more lengthy discussion on rigging, check out our Pueo Rigging Guide.

5) Basic Care.

• Whenever possible, try to store your canoe out of direct sunlight. If it’s not possible, then we highly recommend keeping your canoe covered in a bag.
• It's a good idea to use a marine polish every so often to keep your gelcoat sealed and in good condition.
• Check your cables periodically for any fraying-- if there are any loose strands, then it’s important to get the cables replaced.
• It’s important to periodically wipe down your canoe after use. This way you’ll notice if any cracks or soft areas are developing, and you can get them fixed before they become a bigger issue.

FAQs:

What type of polish should I use?

We use Meguiar's Premium Marine Wax to protect and seal the surface, but any type of marine wax made for gelcoat should work. For a more aggressive polish to remove scuffs we use Meguiar’s One-Step Compound & Polish. Do not use car polish or wax products.

I have water in my canoe, what now?

Every canoe is pressure tested before it leaves the shop, so, if it gets water in it it will be from one of three reasons:

1. You hulied, and it sucked up through the drain plug’s breather tube.
2. The plug was out.
3. The canoe has developed a crack. These are often hard to see with your eye. So, if you consistently get water in your canoe and you can eliminate options one and two, then bring the canoe in to us or a qualified repair professional. If the canoe or ama takes in water through one of the seams or holes (including the foot well drains, rudder sleeve, ‘iako sleeve, bungee holes, or the rudder tubes) and it has not been through any major impacts, then that repair cost is covered under warranty.

I have a small crack, is it worth fixing?

It’s impossible to say without seeing the canoe-- but, in general, all cracks are worth fixing at some point. However, it is significantly cheaper to repair five small cracks at the same time than it is to repair five small cracks at five different times. So, to determine if a crack needs immediate attention or can wait, just press on the crack and the surrounding area. If it isn’t soft or flexy, then you’re good to put a piece of clear packing tape on it and then bring it to a repair shop at your convenience or when you have a number of taped up areas. If the crack is flexible or soft to the touch, then the canoe should be repaired before any further use.

I hit the reef (or the top of a parking garage) with my rudder, and now I can’t turn it, do I need a new rudder?

If the canoe hull is not damaged, this often is easily fixable. When this occurs, the rudder shaft has bent right above the rudder. You’ll need to stick your rudder into a table mounted vice and simply bend it back straight by pushing up on the back (the sharp edge) of the rudder. However, it’s very important that you insert the rudder all the way into the vice, to make sure that you are bending the very bottom (right above the rudder). If you were to bend the middle of the shaft, then it wouldn’t fit back into your rudder sleeve. It may take a couple of tries to get it right. If you’re on O’ahu, bring your rudder by the shop and we’ll get it done for you in a few minutes at no charge.

If the rudder is only very slightly bent, then you can bend it back into place without removing it from the canoe. Simply turn the rudder to the right or the left, and then push against the back edge to straighten it up. However, this puts a lot of strain on your rudder sleeve and can crack it-- so it’s important to only do this if the rudder is only very slightly bent.

More Information

If you have any other questions, please feel free to email us at info@kamanucomposites.com at any time.

Check out these links for more detailed articles on stroke, surfing, and training.

If you want to learn more about paddling, please check out our Kamanu Canoe Clinics which are catered to both novice and experienced paddlers, and are available on Kaua’i and O’ahu.