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.

Kamanu Composites is looking for some technical skills this summer.   Two possible positions or area specific projects are up for consideration.  Ideal would be college students looking for interesting summer work.

1) Engineer: Looking for some experience with CAD (solidworks or similar preferred).  Mechanical Engineering coursework a plus.  Possible projects include part and mold design, process control, quality control, heat curing systems, or anything related to composites manufacturing.  Depends on interests, experience, and usefulness to the company.  Hands on experience desired, or a willingness and ability to build things.

2) Programmer: Looking for a python hacker.  Web development experience a plus.  Project would be development with django framework for internal management software and public website.  Also could get involved with documentation and shop workflow.  The goal is to make the company more efficient.

For both positions: Must be able to work independently and be confident in solving problems given time and resources. A desire and ability for hands on work is highly recommended.

Email keizo@kamanucomposites.com with resume and any questions.

Julie Borsetti joined Kamanu Composites in March of 2008 as a spray artist.  Part of the job description was to introduce some ‘real’ creativity to the designs of our custom canoes.  Having had no prior experience with the materials and spray techniques we use, she was able to become proficient at the basics in a short amount of time.    It wasn’t long before she started accomplishing color combinations and layouts that have never been done on a canoe before.  Many of these can now be seen on the water and in the hands of customers.  Here are a few of our favorites.

Unfortunately Julie has moved to the mainland, but we would like to thank her for what she has contributed to the company.  She has helped shape our company and established a standard of what’s possible for future customers.

In the past, as paddlers, it’s always been frustrating to see canoe manufacturers with websites that are years out of date.  So one of our goals in starting up a canoe building company was to keep a website with frequent updates.  Now that it’s been almost a year since this website has been updated, we find ourselves in the same position we had hoped to avoid: just another canoe company with an inexcusably static website.

There are all sorts of reasons that could be stated in defense of ourselves and the other builders.  We advertise in print, so it’s not that important to advertise online.  There is already a waiting list, so why bother to update the website.  Updating the website takes time and money, which is better spent investing in our product.  We don’t have any good photos to update the website with.  The list of excuses goes on, but really none of them make the situation any better.

However, one thing is for certain, we no longer look at other manufacturers websites with that same frustration – it’s more a feeling of sympathy and respect.  We’ve found there’s a very long list of tasks necessary to build this business (or any business for that matter) and updating the website has only come to the top a few times.  We would like to change that and will be doing our best to make it happen.

–Kamanu Composites