Published at June 17, 2007
in Ulua.
You can now have a canoe-based wedding on Hawaii. From the site:
Hawaii has been one of the world’s most popular wedding destinations since tourism has been the mainstay of this beautiful island archipelago. More recently, however, there has been emerging interest in traditional Hawaiian culture contrasted to the embellished forms of song and dance for the sake of entertainment. The sailing canoe being the pinnacle of cultural achievement for the Hawaiian people adds that unique element of Hawaiiana, not to mention the sense of excitement the service will undoubtedly bring to your Hawaii wedding experience!
[LINK]
Published at June 12, 2007
in Tiki and Ulua.
Kū, Hawaiian god of War and Canoe Building
In Hawaii, Kū, along with Lono [our family protector], Kanaloa, and Kāne, were the uncreated creators of the universe. Ku was the god of war, and of canoe builders. He was also the only god that demanded human sacrifice as part of the dedication of his heiaus or temples.
Some of the many names of Ku
- Ku-holoholo-pali: “Ku who steadies the canoe as it is carried down steep places”
- Ku-kalanawao: “Ku who guides through the mountain wilderness”
- Ku-kanaloa: (No data; Kanaloa was the god of the Ocean; his ocean form is the he’e, or octopus; his land form is the banana.)
- Ku-ka-’ohi’a-laka: “Ku of the sacred ‘ohi’a;” also Ku-maha-ali’i: “Ku who journeys in the canoe”
- Ku-mauna: “Ku of the mountains”
- Ku-moku-hali’i: “Ku who bedecks the island”; canoe builders chief god; husband of Lea; also Mokuhali’i
- Ku-ohanawao: (no data; cf. Ku’alana-wao and Ku-kalanawao)
- Ku-’ohi’a-Laka: Another name for Laka
- Ku-olonawao: “Ku of the deep forest”
- Ku-pepeiao-loa: “Ku of the long comb-cleats”; god of the seat braces by which the canoe is carried
- Ku-pepeiao-poko: “Ku of the short comb-cleats”; god of the seat braces by which the canoe is carried
- Ku-pulapula: “Ku with many offspring”
- Ku-pulupulu: “Ku, the chip-maker”; god of the forests
- Ku-pulupulu-i-ka-nahele: Another name for Ku-pulupulu
- Kulauka: Another name for Ku-pulupulu
The more I look at the beautiful work of other craftsmen out there, the more I think we are in need of big-time help from Kū!
This beautiful Ulua canoe honors Kū.
2007 Watercraft prize won by Oughtred canoe. [LINK]
Published at June 11, 2007
in Ulua.
Ulua strongback, stem molds, and station molds
Tube containing 60ea 1″ x 1/4″ x 20′ western red cedar bead-and-cove strips from BC Wood Strips.
- completed and set up strongback on legs
- received cedar strips for vaka hull
- fabricated cleats and mold extensions
- purchased and set up floor-standing drill press
- jigsawed out stem and station molds (still need to belt sand to final dimension)
- 99% determined that we will leave the hull in natural finish with mahogany for stems, ‘wales, seats, etc.
Wood selection and sourcing in boat building is a really, really big deal. Not to mention expensive!
Wood Handbook
Wood as an engineering material. General Technical Report 113.
Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. 463 p.
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr113/fplgtr113.htm
Published at May 29, 2007
in Ulua.
We have made some progress now on the Ulua. Today marks one month and one day on the project clock, and this is the 101st post to the blog. It’s been great fun!
Laying out the plywood to cut planks for the strongback. This was after we realized there was no way we could use the table saw for this.
Appropriate listening on the iPod while building.
INVISIBLE TOOLZ!
Captain Blood monitors progress from the rafters.
Char and Avery provide refreshments.
Self portrait, MySpace style, with Norseboat centerboard.
Boat building with wahine power.
Dry fitting the strongback parts.
Completed main rail of strong back. Next step: building the legs, setting up and leveling and measuring the runout to see how we really did. Then, fab the cleats, mold extensions, the molds themselves, mold setup, the stems…
The shape of things to come. Bead-and-cove cedar strips from BC Wood Strips, ready for shipping in the long cardboard tube. They should be here in a week or so.
Published at May 7, 2007
in Ulua.
I have found a source for foam for the Ulua ama. Fiberglass Hawaii, in Santa Cruz, is a supply house for surfboard and marine craft builders. They are very familiar with outrigger construction, and are a suppler to Huki. The nice lady there told me that most outrigger builders use PVC closed-cell foam rather than urithane, and that they typically laminate 1/8″ - 1/4″ sheets up with epoxy to get larger shapes that are stronger than using a solid block. Obviously, they are a great source of info, as well as material. I will have to get down there in a week or two to get some advice, foam amd maybe also glass and epoxy.
Published at May 6, 2007
in Ulua.
First mini-load of lumber arrives via XTerra
Saturday was a big day for setting up shop for the Ulua Project. There is a lot to do here, since I am starting with almost nothing — the only power tool I own being the 3/8″ power drill I bought in college, and only a small metal toolbox that I got for Christmas when I was about 11 to hold a hammer and some pliers.
So, let the binge begin — purchased Saturday were a workbench, Bosch 5A jig saw, cheap Delta Shopmaster table saw (about 6x less than the one Chief has), Bosch cordless drill, a shop vac, a bunch of clamps, a level, squares, a Bosch router and router table ($$$), some saw horses, a feed stand, and lumber to get going on making the strongback and molds. Pictures to come as things get assembled further. It seems like a lot, but I recently had a Huki OC-1 canoe quoted for me at about $4000, so perhaps the better way to think of it is that for about the same amount of money in the end I will have a canoe that sails, can carry a couple of people if necessary, and a complete shop.
Published at May 2, 2007
in Ulua.
João Rivera writes in from Auckland, where he is building an Ulua with substantially better tooling than me! The photo shows the stem mold being cut out on a CNC machine. He is a professional boatbuilder, and says he doesn’t have room to start quite yet. I’m sure his will turn out beautiful.
P.S. from João — “this CNC is from the school I do my boat building apprenticeship, UNITEC.
check out the link in the signature for some photos. I’ve been to Gary’s place, awesome canoes!”
João Rivera JUCA
http://kiaoratearoa.blogspot.com
Following in Chief’s footsteps, and setting up in my empty garage to build the Ulua, it is clear that music is a requirement to keep the mana flowing. I’ll be listening a lot to IZ, he da man! Check him out, and get his tunes!
Iz on Wikipedia
Iz on All Music Guide
Iz on Amazon
Published at April 28, 2007
in Ulua.
The Ulua plans came in the mail today, making this DAY ZERO. Included are a number of 1:1 scale blueprint sheets (haven’t seen real, blue blueprints in quite a while), and a CD full of addiional drawings, pics, and instructions in pdf. 
The first step for me was to trot down to Kinko’s to get the more detailed sheets printed up at D-size (at great expense), and wallpaper the living room with them.
Next steps: Since I am fitting out the workshop (i.e. half of a 21′, two-car garage) at the same time as building the boat, I am thinking to start small by building some of the accessories, like the hiking seat, as a warmup. I also have some Norseboat projects in queue, like re-inforcing the centerboard trunk and making a set of floorboards with integral footblocks for better rowing.
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