Outrigger Canoe Club Non-Koa Canoes

The Outrigger Canoe Club owns a number of six-man non-koa racing canoes (fiberglass and foam) that Club crews use to practice and race in.

First Fiberglass Canoe

Outrigger member A. E. “Toots” Minvielle Jr., founder of the Molokai to Oahu long distance canoe race, constructed the first known fiberglass canoe in 1954.  “So many things on the beach have come in for a coat of fiberglass of late, such as surfboards, paddles, catamarans, skiffs, that the question arose as to the making of a canoe,” Minvielle wrote. Accordingly, Phil “Caboose” Carr of Craig and Co., the local Hawaii distributor of fiberglass materials, engaged Minvielle to prepare plans and drawings for a 28-foot, 6-paddle canoe.

In an article in the Outrigger magazine in September 1954, Minvielle stated that “The hull of the canoe was designed for surfing purposes.  Several other features were incorporated.  It was shaped so as to be picked up by the wave better than most canoes.  It was made to hold a more steady course and to be a much easier steering canoe.  The plastic and fiberglass materials seem to have a density greater than that of water taken as 1.0.  Such being the case, these materials then will not float, neither will a swamped fiberglass canoe.  To give floatation, a double or false bottom, three inches or so thick, was provided for the full length of the canoe and water-tight compartments were put in at the bow and stern,” he wrote.

“Whereas, the outrigger arms or `iako are usually of the ‘hau’ tree which must be found with a suitable curve, the `iako for this canoe were made from three pieces of 1 x 3 spruce which were bent to the required curve and uniformity and glued together.  The ama or floating outrigger was made from redwood, hollow inside for lightness and fiberglassed on the outside for surface protection.  Other parts of the canoe such as the gunwale, seats, manu or end coverings and wai or cross braces were made of wood and shaped in the usual manner.”

The launching and try-out of the canoe took place on the beach at the Outrigger Canoe Club.  Most of the celebrated authorities on surfing and canoe steering had their chance to try it out.  Even Duke Kahanamoku was eager to give it a test run,  steering it on a wave from “blow hole” right in to the beach at the Outrigger’s dining room.

“In the construction of the canoe, a ‘female’ mold was first made to the required dimensions and supervised control.  It resembled a water trough or elongated bath tub.  The fiberglass materials were applied to this mold and upon hardening the shell was simply lifted out of the mold.  The finished product, being painted black, cannot be distinguished at a distance from an ordinary koa or wood canoe,” Minvielle added.

“Unless a lot of interest is developed and men with strong backs secured to go up into the mountains of Kona for the large koa trees, this method of making Hawaiian outrigger canoes may be the thing of the future,” Minvielle concluded.

Kaiolokea Launched

On April 7, 1957 Outrigger launched the Kaiolokea (“White Rolling Sea”), the Club’s first fiberglass canoe.  The canoe was built by OCC Coach George Downing and was blessed by OCC’s Eva Pomroy.  The first  trial run after the blessing was made by Duke Kahanamoku and Downing.  The canoe was 28 feet in length and made of fiberglass, one of a fleet of some 25 such canoes. The canoes were formed on a mold with fiberglass cloth and plastic resin and weighed around 400 pounds, compared to the koa canoes that weighed from 650 to 700 pounds at that time.

Outrigger raced in the Molokai to Oahu race for the first time in a fiberglass canoe in 1963, finishing in fourth place. The canoe: the Kawelea.  After that race the Club returned to koa canoes until 1975 when its second crew crossed the Ka`iwi Channel in the fiberglass canoe Aukai.  The first crew raced in the koa canoe Kakina and finished first.

Manu `Ula

OCC won its first Molokai race in a fiberglass canoe in 1977 in Tom Conner’s Manu`Ula.  After the Tahitians had entered and won the Molokai race in a sleek, fiberglass canoe the year before, Conner, coach of the Outrigger men’s crew, built the Manu`Ula to compete with the lighter and faster Tahitian canoes.  The Club won in the Manu`Ula again in 1979. The Manu`Ula was owned by Conner, not the OCC.

The Outrigger continued to acquire fiberglass canoes as training canoes, as well as for use in distance races.  Koa canoes are still required for all OHCRA and HCRA regattas.

In the 1980s  several OCC members (Jeff Kissell, Hank Lass, Bob Riley and Walter Guild) owned the Fiberglass Shop which developed and manufactured the Hawaiian Class Racing Canoe, which soon became the standard for fiberglass canoes around the world.  The Club replaced all of its old Malia-mold canoes with the Hawaiian Class Racing canoes by 1987.

As new designs have became available, such as the Force Five, Mirage, Bradley and Tiger canoes, the Club has added to its fleet.

Unlimited Canoes

The Club currently has six unlimited canoes, the A`o, Koa`e, Manu O Ku, `Ua`u, Mōlī and Noio.  The unlimited canoes are all named for Hawaiian Sea Birds.  The A`o was acquired in 2014, the Manu O Ku (3-man unlimited) in 2015,   the Koa`e in 2016, the `Ua`u in 2018 and the Mōlī and Noio in 2019. The canoes, which weigh about 160 pounds, compared to other canoes at 400+ pounds, are light enough that two people can carry them into the water. The canoes are used to train in and may be paddled during the long-distance season. They have not been sanctioned for regatta use.

The Club’s current fleet of six-man non-koa racing canoes includes: