Maui Voyaging Canoe Weighs in at 10.3 Tons
By Maui Now Staff
Maui’s Polynesian voyaging canoe, the Moʻokiha o Piʻilani under construction in West Maui, weighed in at 20,300 pounds or 10.3 tons, according to an announcement made by Hui o Waʻa Kaulua, Maui’s Voyaging Society.
The 62-foot double-hulled traditional sailing canoe was weighed as part of a registration process, as the vessel is readied for launch in mid-May.
The weight will be used to calculate the canoe’s volume, and in turn help to determine the vessel’s draft and speed under sail, the announcement said.
“Each step forward is something new we haven’t done before,” said the vessel’s Captain Timi Gilliom in an organization press release.
“The next big milestone is putting the canoe on her trailer and hauling her to the launch site. This canoe is just too big to launch here at our beach. She wonʻt clear the reef,” he said.
The vessel was weighed on Tuesday with the assistance of Ronald Alexander and Ika Gushiken, the owner of Diversified Crane Services.
Volunteers are invited to the dry dock location next to Kamehameha Iki Park in Lahaina any day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to assist in finishing touches on the canoe, including final wood finishing.