Posted on October 18, 2020

This is part 3 in a trilogy of outrigger trials and also includes a brief review of Kamanu's Pueo X and Puakea's Kahele. Part 1 was about the Ares by Kai Wa'a, part 2 discused Huki's V1-X.

Decision time is approaching. These are all excellent craft and it will be difficult to pick a winner.

Once again I teamed up with Rob, a man who still goes paddling when ash is raining from the skies (but didn't need to this time around since the air in California had cleared up considerably), and we visited Waterman's Landing in Carnelian Bay on the northern end of Lake Tahoe on this sunny day in October.

Puakea Volare

The Volare is the latest ocean canoe from Puakea Designs, introduced just a few months ago, and the first ocean canoe with adjustable foot braces.

As noted above, the hull of the Volare was left unpainted to save weight. She is a racer's boat.

Volare Dimensions
19′.6″ LOA (Length Over All)
19' LAW (Length At Waterline)

Puakea Kahele

While over at Waterman's Landing I also had a chance to take a spin on the Puakea Kahele. The Kahele wasn't even on my list of contenders as I thought that she was a bit undersized, but I have to say: the Kahele fits me like a glove.

The acceleration of the Kahele is outstanding and the seat comfort was great. Absolutely no complaints in that department, I think I could paddle this boat all day without issues.

We were cruising at 4 mph with minimal effort and over 6 mph when we were pushing it. There wasn't a noticeable speed gap between the Volare and the Kahele. Both canoes seem very compatible, I would think that in a racing situation on flat water the Kahele has the edge but on ocean swells it could be a different story.

All the sudden the Kahele is a serious contender.

Talking about paddling and paddles, 51 inches seems to be my paddle length as Jay from Waterman's confirmed. I also used a 50 length for a while and either one would be fine but I'll go with 51 when I buy my first OC paddle.

Kahele Dimensions
19′3″ LOA (Length Over All)
19' LAW (Length At Waterline)


Kamanu Pueo X

A week ago I paddled a Kamanu Pueo X on the San Francisco Bay in choppy and windy conditions. It was my first real outrigger test but unfortunately I don't have any footage from it. Even more unfortunately because I also threw my first huli and would have loved to see my facial expression in slow motion. It happened so fast that it took my breath away.

The Pueo X was the coaches' boat and he needed it back to train his group. I bet he had rigged it super light which probably had a lot to do with my huli because otherwise I was 'born stable'. Nonetheless, I quite liked the Pueo X. Even today I still think that Kamanu makes the best ocean canoe seats.

Pueo X Dimensions
20′8″ LOA (Length Over All)
??' LAW (Length At Waterline)

Kai Wa'a Ares

The Pueo X reminded me a lot of the Kai Wa'a Ares and I happened to see one right next to it.

Ares Dimensions
20′9″ LOA (Length Over All)
??' LAW (Length At Waterline)

Gray seems to be a fashionable color these days. What an understatement for an expensive boat! The reasons behind the gray, as I alluded to before, are the weight savings by not painting the hull.

Kamanu Ka'iwa

While at the O Kalani Outrigger Club another cool boat caught my eye. It was a Kamanu Ka'iwa, a Tahitian style outrigger canoe, rudderless, with open cockpit. This type of boat, also known as Va'a or V1, has evolved over centuries in the lagoons around Tahiti and other Polynesian islands.

I can totally understand the appeal of such boat. It's the purest form of paddling.

The Wrap

Over the past weeks and months I tested a number of outrigger canoes, virtually all top boats that are available on the Western Seaboard, with the idea to buy my favorite one and to start paddling like a Polynesian. So, what's the verdict, where is this headed?

The answer is not as straight forward as I would have liked. There is no clear favorite. The good news is that all these canoes are really good.

Seating comfort is quite important for all-day paddles and the best seat I found was on a Kamanu Pueo. However, other than the seat I thought the the Pueo X is very similar to the Kai Wa'a Ares and I would give the nod to the Ares since the ama distance can be adjusted. This feature might be very useful when carrying fishing gear.

For now my top contenders are the Puakea Kahele and the Puakea Volare, followed by the Kai Wa'a Ares in third place.

The Kahele fits me like a glove and Puakea's carbon fiber footwell cover would offer mounting options for GPS and similar gadgets, mounting options that other canoes simply don't provide. Again, the idea to go on longer trips and fishing from an OC is high on on my list. I rank these mounting surfaces above the variable ama distance settings on the Ares.

I would have picked the Kahele already if it wasn't for a number of folks who owned one and were moving up to a Puakea Volare. Moving up is exactly the right word as the Volare is bigger with more main hull volume, especially in the cockpit and foreship, and is definitely better for those fighting in weight classes above the UFC Lightweight division.

The Volare is said to have the edge on Big Water and I have to imagine that this is true. Unfortunately, all my tests were on flat(-ish) water, but most of my paddling is on Big Water. Therefore, advantage Volare.

Now, with this said, the Volare would be a wrap if it wasn't for the seat. Somehow the seat pinched me around my hip joints. How is this possible? The Volare is a 1/4 inch wider than the Kahele and the Kahele fit so well. I think the seat pan must be a little deeper. Another observation: when swinging my legs over to sit sideways and with my feet resting on the ama I felt the gunnels pushing into my thighs. Again, it looks like the seat pan is a bit deeper. Perhaps a 1/4 inch layer of spacer foam would solve this issue (need to follow up). Advantage Kahele.

The Volare has more rocker and will be more stable in ocean swells. Advantage Volare.

A second concern is that the Volare may catch more wind than the Kahele due to its greater volume. For downwind racing this isn't an issue at all, perhaps even an advantage, but for fishing we like to offer as little freeboard as possible. Advantage Kahele.

The Volare offers more carrying capacity, a wider rear deck and a deeper footwell. This can be useful when carrying fishing and survival gear for offshore trips. Advantage Volare.

Decisions, decisions! I think it comes down to either the Kahele or the Volare but a few finer points still need to be worked out.