Video of my traditional outrigger canoe

Walking around the canoe before I deliver it to it's new home on Saturday.

I am delivering the canoe on Saturday!

This canoe sold on the first day it was posted...Friday of last week. I have spent the last 3 days getting it ready. The inside hull was treated for termite prevention then with a rosewood stain, the outrigger components were aggressively treated with a water sealer, I lightly sanded and varnished the outside of the hull and replaced all the rigging with a natural fiber rope. The rope was soaked in water for 30 minutes before installation...this will cause the rope to shrink and tighten as it dries.
This was an extremely rewarding project and I am looking forward to starting my next wa'a in the very near future.

Installing the outrigger!

Special thanks to my friend James from Vanuatu for helping me out! We sharpened guava sticks and hammered them into the wiliwili, much like driving in a nail. This is a very traditional method used all over the Pacific.

Burning out the canoe

I decided to burn the canoe black. This is a very old way of clearing out the hull of a traditional canoe. As long as the fire is controlled, it is very effective!

Pictures on how the canoe was made.

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click on images to enlarge


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click on images to enlarge



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The experience was amazing from start to finish! In true island style I decided to construct the canoe in the very location where I cut down the tree. Having to cut a pathway to the canoe site, construct a tent and go to work every day in the bush was a very powerful thing. Thanks to all of you who came to visit me, to cheer me on, while I worked on this project.