The Hoa Hele Debuts at Bayer

The Hoa Hele has come a long way from being a near derelict canoe to the beauty she is today. Back in April when I took this photo, she was cracked, had multiple patches that ranged in quality from poor to horrible, filthy from being out in the open unattended for years, and looked like she had been run aground more than a few times. Huge gouges and scrapes scarred her hull, and the fiberglass and epoxy patches that were applied were done in haste with little regard to aesthetics. Her foot pedals were scavenged, and the cables to the rudder were corroded. This particular Ka'iwi Challenger Model was one of the first one-person canoes bought by Kaimanu OCC and in the last few years has been left to hang on a rack in favor of more modern Hurricane and Pegasus outrigger canoes. Originally made in Southern California and sold to the club in the early to mid-80's, the yet-to-be re-christened Hoa Hele served as the club's single-person canoe for many years. When we pulled her off the rack, it was apparent that there was a lot of work to be done. On the plus side, the hull's integrity was mostly intact, and save for a few small leaks, she was in good shape. She just looked worse than her actual condition.I had been looking for a canoe to bring with me to promote the sport of outrigger racing, to represent my club and fiscal sponsor as I drive around the world, and well, to get attention. After a few failed attempts at getting canoe manufacturers to donate a canoe (Pegasus told me that they would give me one if not for being completely out of stock, and Huki told me that they only sponsored athletes and would consider donating one only if I was televised on the Discovery Channel or National Geographic) I noticed the hull of this Ka'iwi Challenger sitting on a rack. I asked our coach about it and she told me a little bit about it's history. It hadn't been used for several seasons now, and when I asked her if I could take it around the world with me, she said she didn't mind.A lot of work later, the Hoa Hele was finally presented to the public on Wednesday after 4 long months in dry dock for repairs and painting. Most of that time in dry dock was spent on repairing the hull and repainting it in the club's colors.

Now that she's fully restored and operational, has been blessed and christened, it was time to show her off. As part of Bayer's Diversity celebration, the Hoa Hele represented the Pacific Island cultures and was one of the largest displays present. One person told me that the canoe made the car and I really look like I was going somewhere, which is exactly what I plan to do.

I did learn a few things from this little "dog and pony" show. Addtional bracing in the form of a front support will be needed if I am to drive through rougher terrain. Paved roads don't pose much of a problem for the canoe, but any heavy bouncing will probably put a lot of strain on the hull at the tie points. I also learned that I can't see the tail end of the canoe at all from the driver's seat, and going in reverse will require me to be very careful or necessitate the assistance of a spotter.

All things aside, I am very happy with how the restoration turned out; most people who saw the canoe and the Geo together were in awe of the sight and either told me I was crazy, brave, or both. Hopefully the sight of a 23" canoe on top of a little Geo Metro will get people to donate to the Hemophilia Foundation and The Christina Noble Children's Foundation and raise awareness ffor these charities. I'd like to extend a very special thank you to Debbie Green of Kaimanu OCC and John Scheib for all of his expertise and help in restoring the Hoa Hele to such wonderful operating and cosmetic condition.