Manu Kai: Hawaiian double canoe

08 March 2005     Editor    1 Comments.

GALLERY | Click images to enlarge

Manu Kai [Bird of the Sea] is a voyaging double canoe: a sailing catamaran for raids, beach cruising, and coastal sailing. It’s designed to be simple, tough, swift, safe, environmentally friendly, and economical to own and to manufacture. It is the sort of small cruiser that I wish were on the market—that Hobie Cat® would make.

LOA: 23’
Beam (sailing): 12’-0”
Beam (trailer): 8’-6”
Weight (approx): 750 lbs.
Draft: 1’-11”
SA: 205 sq. ft.

Inspired by the ocean voyaging canoes of ancient Hawaii, the identical hulls feature tall "wavecutter" bows and traditional canoe sterns for surfing large ocean swells. The boardless hulls take the stress out of beaching or accidental groundings, and the protected spade rudders will provide reliable steering control, smooth action and sensitive feel. The sharp keels provide a smooth and easy ride and good tracking, while the cutaway aft still permits tacking with a degree of alacrity.

The hulls have a slender waterline beam of 20” for low wave-making resistance, yet flare above the waterline to 32” for a bit more elbow room inside.

The simple yet efficient sliding gunter rig of 205 sq. ft. combined with the overall sailing beam of 12’ will provide plenty of power, and its low center of effort will be appreciated in a sudden squall. The short 18’ mast length greatly reduces the sweat required to step it, as well as suffering less windage and overturning moment of the more standard marconi rig when reefed.

Accommodations are spartan below, but the large deck area permits the pitching of a deck tent to convert the canoe from a fast sailboat to a stable camping dock. Cooking, eating, and lounging are done on deck, and a large double berth also fits under the tent. The hulls feature two single berths, plenty of stowage space (could we fit a bicycle?), and a private marine head.

Designed for simplicity in sailing, trailering, as well as manufacturing, the canoe employs sliding aluminum tube cross-beams to compact its sailing beam of 12’ to a trailer capable beam of 8’-6". Hull and deck are identical for both hulls, the central auxiliary engine pod give a total of 6 major molded parts from 4 molds for composite (wood core/cloth/epoxy) manufacturing. Though originally conceived for open-mold fiberglass production, this boat would make a very cool cedar stripper. The light weight of approx. 750 lbs. will allow the double canoe to be easily trailed behind even small cars, and encourages the boat to be dry moored, and stored at home during the off season.

Manu Kai is named in honor of the first modern Hawaiian beach sailing catamaran, the original 38’ Manu Kai designed and built by Woody Brown and Alfred Kumalae in 1947.

Please Note: The drawing above is a cartoon, a sketch, a doodle. No plans exist.

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