We build canoes.

Doing our part to reverse inflation :)

September 16, 2024

When we launched the Noio in 2022, we were facing unprecedented inflation, and our company at the time had the most significant overhead we'd ever had. And our prices had been stable since 2016. The math only worked with all prices over $6000. Now that the dust has settled from the pandemic, we have less overhead, have gotten more efficient, and, to be honest, we feel the pressure of cheaper canoes available from overseas; it's time for an adjustment: We're reducing the starting price to $5500 for all white, a significant drop from the original $6300. Solid color choices are now $5900. Fully custom or team paint remains $6500. Complete pricing here.

It's a change that will allow more people to consider Hawai'i-made canoes. And it will make shipments slightly more accessible. We know we'll never compete directly on price -- it's impossible doing what we do. But we aim to make the best product AND we want Noio to get paddled as much as possible.

With these changes, we are gauging interest in potential container shipments to New Zealand and Japan and are still soliciting interest in the next Hong Kong and Australia shipments. Please email info@kamanucomposites.com if you're interested in any of those locations or pass the word on to anyone who might be. Final shipping and customs pricing is contingent on order quantity and container cost.

Aloha,

Keizo Gates
Co-founder/Designer/Engineer
Kamanu Composites, LLC
We Build Canoes

Rewriting the Mission

September 05, 2024

This is part of a series of emails/blog posts as we work through some website updates! More to come.

As a naive 22-year-old, I wrote our original mission statement in 2007: "Become the most amazing company in the entire world... and build good canoes while we're at it."

It was hard to imagine then that I'd still be building canoes in 2024. But here we are. We have built a lot of good canoes—something like 4,000 of them— totaling around 300,000 hours of labor, leading to millions of hours of use on the ocean, countless waves, and an infinite amount of stoke.

We've made thousands of memories, employed hundreds of people, and mentored dozens of students. We've cultivated an incredible and supportive customer base (that's you!) who pay a premium for the things we craft. We pioneered the unlimited class of sixmans and experimented with dozens of prototype canoes. During 2020, we made nearly a million face shields in a pivot we never expected; nonetheless, a challenge met with purpose, pride, and unimaginable speed. We have built our latest shop from scratch, with a million dollars of advanced manufacturing equipment. And I can proudly say that we are good at building canoes. The Noio is lighter, stronger, and better built than anything we've ever done.

But, the most amazing company in the world? Laughable. We're not even the top company in the building we occupy. We struggle to break even most years. With some regularity, when enough canoes have gone out the door each Friday, we joke that we survived another week. But it's not a joke. We remain perched on the narrow precipice between failure and eeking out a meager survival. It's a constant battle to keep operations functional, let alone efficient. We struggle to market our canoes and story and have survived by working crazy hours without expecting short-term financial returns. We've made wild strategic errors when we had working capital and debt financing. And, after 17 years, it feels like we're still figuring it out.

But the purpose and the need to exist remain. It's more vital than ever. Canoe building needs to exist in Hawaii. It's one of the oldest trades in the world. It's culturally significant. And the American in me won't accept China straight-up being better than us at making most things. In Hawai'i, where manufacturing is next to non-existent, we must maintain some industrial capacity (our pivot to face shields confirmed it's critical to a resilient society) and prove that local youth don't have to move away to do extraordinary things. Outrigger canoes are the one thing I can stand up for, face the world, and say we can do it best. Not the cheapest or in the most quantity, but the best.

As I consider the next 17 years of Kamanu Composites, we must ensure Hawaiian outrigger canoes are made in Hawai'i. And so, after all these years, here's a little update to our mission: "Build the best outrigger canoes as locally and sustainably as possible." That's it. It embodies our core belief in crafting a great product from start to finish the best way we know how. And while we can't predict the future, this is one thing we'll hold close to our core.

Keizo Gates
Co-founder/Designer/Engineer
Kamanu Composites, LLC
We Build Canoes

Noio in Kaiwi Solo 2024

May 10, 2024

Pa'a Kaiwi Solo 2024 was historic. It was the biggest, windiest, fastest, and gnarliest channel in OC-1 race history. Congrats to all who crossed, but especially to Kamanu Team rider Lindsey Shank, who won the women's division, crossing in 3:59, notably a new world record and the first female under four hours. And Pat Dolan crushed his own record by 12 minutes in a staggering 3:19. These records undoubtedly stand for some time.

Kamanu Team rider Triston Kaho'okele Santos didn't make it easy for Pat, putting pressure on all day to finish in 3:20. Also on the Noio, Kristin Foster (2023 winner) rounded out 3rd in the Women's division, and Steeve Teihotaata and Manutea Millon placed 4th and 5th in the men's division. Markus and Hi'aka completed their first solo crossings in the 16 and under division. We couldn't be more proud of our team. Three of the top 5 overall and two of the top 3 women choose Noio and are so honored to support them.

After seeing Steeve and Triston, along with a handful of canoes, get swallowed by clean-out sets mid-channel, we are grateful that everyone made it in safely. It really was the most wild conditions in at least 20 years.

Thank you to our team sponsors: Prometheus Construction, O'iwi Ocean Gear, Hawaiian Canvas, and Kalapawai Market.

Kamanu Composites Kaiwi Solo

April 23, 2024

Aloha Kamanu Ohana,

Kamanu Composites is proud to announce that we will be the title sponsor of the Kaiwi Solo World Championship on May 4th!

As many of you know, the Kaiwi Solo is the most prestigious and respected event in OC1 racing, with the best in the world going head-to-head for 32 miles from Molokai to Oahu. For us at Kamanu, the Kaiwi is the ultimate proving ground for our craft. It's what we optimize for in our relentless pursuit to build the fastest outrigger canoes in the world. And so it's an incredible honor that we get to place our name on this year's race -- something only possible with the support of our team of athletes and team sponsors this year, to whom we owe much gratitude.

We can't wait to see the world's best paddlers go to battle and hope you'll join us in the Live Feed. We are working closely with Pa'a to help share the experience as best we can. Be sure to tune in on May 4th at 10 am.

Here are a few other quick updates:

Cali Container & Gorge Delivery: There's still time to get a Noio for the Gorge. Contact Aria or place a Noio deposit today.

Shop Move: We're fully settled into our new space and loving the efficiency and focus it provides. The essence of canoe craftsmanship is alive and well, and we're excited to keep tuning the dials in production and the shop.

Custom Noio: As a reminder, we restructured our pricing with all-white canoes starting at $5900. All custom options are back.

Socials: Please follow us on Instagram @kamanucomposites if you haven't already! We share a lot of Noio feedback and whatever paddling content we can. Also, tag us when you post! It goes a long way in sharing the stoke and keeping canoes made in Hawai'i.

Mahalo,

Keizo Gates

Updated Custom Noio Options

February 13, 2024

There were some great and thoughtful responses to my last email (which if you didn’t read, can be found here — a winding recap of the last few years in our quest to keep canoes made in Hawai’i). Perhaps my favorite response, "My Noio has a soul." I appreciate the encouragement. Our mission continues.

While our move is still in progress, we already feel the advantages of a better organized and smaller space. Tools are within reach, and we spend way less time walking! It'll be more efficient, and I am excited to focus more on the craft of building boats. For our team of builders, this means more variety of work, a little less focus on high-rate specialization, and more emphasis on the art of canoe building from start to finish.

With all these changes, we are also making a few updates to our pricing and custom options. Both a lower entry point starting at $5900, and way more custom paint options available.

Complete information on the Noio OC1 Order Form

A few other notes:

We are still taking deposits for the Gorge delivery! Please follow up with aria@kamanucomposites.com if interested.

Our mailing address will remain the same.

The new location is behind our current building, open regular hours in starting in March.

We are slowly but steadily pushing out a number of older canoes at lower costs. Please inquire if interested!

More updates soon!

Thanks for reading.

Aloha,

Keizo Gates