This Kauhola V3 looks terrific! I'm on the east coast, mainland US and have a 4-man canoe which I keep on the beach. From looking at Tiger's website, this V3 looks very easy to transport and rig. I think this Va'a would go over great over here on the mainland. I know I WANT ONE! Any specs out there? Below the deck, is it all open cockpit or compartments at the seats (looks open from the layup pictures)? Looks like it might be a bitch to bale when taking on water in huli or heavy waves. I bet its a bit squirrely to steer (steered more like a 1-man va'a OR open cockpit surf canoe?). Thanks for the video!
Yes its open through the hull, and bailing isn't a problem because it has a venturi self bailer. We flipped on a rough day and had no problem getting the boat back up. The venturi works insane.
Aukina - I know its like comparing apples to oranges but, how do you feel the performance of the v3 compared to a lightweight 6 man, speed, handling, wave catching ability? Given "equal" ability of crews in a v3 and v6, who's getting to the finish line first?
BTW, love seeing it on top of your truck on the way for a paddle - show stopper!
They definitely don't steer the same. Id say the V3 steers somewhere between a 6 man and Canoe surfing 4 man. I really enjoy the challenge and find the boat to be a good way to improve my steering skills (everything happens a little quicker so you have to be on your a game to keep control). Also learning to anticipate the boats every move is a bit tricky but again I feel is a challenge that I think will make me better. All in all I think dependent on conditions each boat is faster in there own right. Short big surf that a six man doesn't fit into as well would give the v3 the advantage. But in big open swells in a light 6 man I would say due to having more horsepower the 6 man would win. Upwind I think the 3 man is quite quick, but will never know until we get out there and race. Can't wait for the new division to start. The boat order list is growing and this is the next new tool to hit hawaii. On a side note I know that in tahiti they have particular races in the v-3 and hopefully someone can shed some insight on this! Does the v-3 go faster in the race than say the v-6 "time Wise"?
If anyone has questions please email me at tigercnk@yahoo.com. Current pricing is $12,000 for the lighter model and $10,500 for the standard model. Both are vacuum bagged epoxy lamination.
Mahalo
Tiger
Working on doing a better video with several camera angles to show the full ability and ease this boat has. This boat is impressive on how big of seas it can handle.
Wow! Super cool video. My friend Justin took me on that run once. I bet it would be so much fun in a 3man!!! That canoe looks awesome and it looks like it handles bigger water really well. Nice work Tiger! Also that is really awesome that it is truck-top-able. I can't wait to see this new 3man canoe in person. Does it perfrom well in flat water? Has there been any time trialing?
Brudda
niccce vid. looks insane bro we took the tahitti one that was at kailua (3man) was good fun hard to steer though cause of the length of the tail. but other than that it's fast!! k aloha
Just wondering how popular V3 would be/are? How many clubs would buy one? What is the general opinion from paddlers? Great to have or could do without it? Let's hear it.
I'm with hasto on this one : I'd really appreciate some feedback on that matter.
Looks like it's growing in popularity, due to light weight and ease to find a crew, regarding the OC6 standard issues.
In France it's still difficult to say. French are so tragically stuck to "let's do this like we always did and be sure to never change a thing".
I spoke recently with Fai Va'a French dealer : 2 in German clubs, same in English clubs. 1 in a French club, 1 to come in my club (still in tahiti, that sucks !)
Problem number one : The French canoe federation voted a new race rule where there is no room for V3 developement, until 2014 at least. (no room for any outrigger race developement to be true).
Clubs won't invest if there is no chance to race. Federation won't consider V3 if the clubs have no boat.
No race, no boat. No boat ... no race.
Seems very popular in Nouvelle Calédonie, with a lot of dedicated races.
The v3 seems to be gaining popularity in the community. I am disappointed to hear that any paddling organization would discourage the racing of them.
I asked the Southern California Racing Association: "What if I showed up to a race with a v3?" and they say "Great see you out there" with a big smile on their face. They might have been thinking yeah right this young guy he doesn't know what he's doing. Part of that is definitely true I don't know what I'm doing excalty but I like to go fast and have fun. I found it very cool that they expressed a willingness to let me bring a v3 to the lineup.
If we raced we would probably be very careful about interfering with 6man crews so that we avoid the stink. No need to make people upset right out of the gate like that. We probably wouldn't win anything but it would hopefully make a fun splash on the scene and get people talking; especially if v3 isn't slow. Hopefully lots of people will want to try it out. I am still new to the sport though and don't know the entire detailed history. My guess is lots of people have fielded new equipment/canoe and what worked stuck and what didn't..well didn't
Someone who I met recently who is very enthusiastic about the sport made a great suggestion. He said because he loves paddling 6man he wants to do similar paddling/training and racing during the winter series. So he said why don't we introduce a 3man to a winter series race so that he can still get that team experience to improve blending, technique and get some steering practice. I hope this idea comes to fruition
This is all just speculative but I feel that in southern California people are being very open to new equipment/canoe. Newer equipment/canoe is lighter and in general more user friendly for women and keiki. Plus if it was me as a keiki seeing this sweet rocket ship looking canoe I would be so freakin jived to get in that thing and be like Wahooo! vvvRRrrOOOooMMM!!! I still am like that though so maybe I'm just a big keiki.
Very important to mention that introducing a new class places more responsibility on race organizers who we all have to be so very grateful for. They are the people behind the curtain not getting paid and sometimes being the ones who pay the most. So if we are so quick to introduce new class we have to be patient and respectful to the organizers putting on the event.
I think that if people want to race the v3 in Cali, Hawaii, or anywhere else in the world then they will. Even if the race is an unsanctioned wild west style showdown.
So how many V3 's are there on the mainland & Hawaii? Any guesstimates? Do you see these canoes becoming popular & even have their own races in future like they do in Tahiti?
Late last year I know there were 3 sent to California from FA'A, two went to our club and one went up north to Oregon I believe. We're hoping to get two more at the end of this year.
5 Fai Vaa V3's came on the first container from Tahiti last September: 1 in Hawaii, 3 west coast, 1 miami. A new order is being place in April with several more to Hawaii and a few more to west coast.
LIKE!!!
#1 Sun, 02/19/2012 - 6:48pm
K I gotta change the song do to copyright. I'll repost later. Sorry.
#2 Sun, 02/19/2012 - 6:56pm
.be
#3 Sun, 02/19/2012 - 9:45pm
This Kauhola V3 looks terrific! I'm on the east coast, mainland US and have a 4-man canoe which I keep on the beach. From looking at Tiger's website, this V3 looks very easy to transport and rig. I think this Va'a would go over great over here on the mainland. I know I WANT ONE! Any specs out there? Below the deck, is it all open cockpit or compartments at the seats (looks open from the layup pictures)? Looks like it might be a bitch to bale when taking on water in huli or heavy waves. I bet its a bit squirrely to steer (steered more like a 1-man va'a OR open cockpit surf canoe?). Thanks for the video!
#4 Mon, 02/20/2012 - 6:25am
Wow....thats very nice.....I want one !
Thanks for sharing that video.
#5 Mon, 02/20/2012 - 9:48am
Yes its open through the hull, and bailing isn't a problem because it has a venturi self bailer. We flipped on a rough day and had no problem getting the boat back up. The venturi works insane.
#6 Tue, 02/21/2012 - 8:17am
How much are they going to be selling this for?
#7 Tue, 02/21/2012 - 9:37am
Their light layup (110lbs) = $12,000
Standard layup (150lbs) = $10,500
Seems pretty steep to me. Especially since Fai Va'a in Tahiti is building the same thing for half the price.
My guess is that they're trying to cover the cost of the tooling (lamination mold) with the price of the canoe.
#8 Tue, 02/21/2012 - 10:08am
K
#9 Wed, 02/22/2012 - 5:43am
Aukina - I know its like comparing apples to oranges but, how do you feel the performance of the v3 compared to a lightweight 6 man, speed, handling, wave catching ability? Given "equal" ability of crews in a v3 and v6, who's getting to the finish line first?
BTW, love seeing it on top of your truck on the way for a paddle - show stopper!
#10 Tue, 02/21/2012 - 11:51am
Aukina, I was posting the prices that I got in the email from Tiger this morning. Looks like he left off the all-carbon layup price...
#11 Tue, 02/21/2012 - 12:15pm
They definitely don't steer the same. Id say the V3 steers somewhere between a 6 man and Canoe surfing 4 man. I really enjoy the challenge and find the boat to be a good way to improve my steering skills (everything happens a little quicker so you have to be on your a game to keep control). Also learning to anticipate the boats every move is a bit tricky but again I feel is a challenge that I think will make me better. All in all I think dependent on conditions each boat is faster in there own right. Short big surf that a six man doesn't fit into as well would give the v3 the advantage. But in big open swells in a light 6 man I would say due to having more horsepower the 6 man would win. Upwind I think the 3 man is quite quick, but will never know until we get out there and race. Can't wait for the new division to start. The boat order list is growing and this is the next new tool to hit hawaii. On a side note I know that in tahiti they have particular races in the v-3 and hopefully someone can shed some insight on this! Does the v-3 go faster in the race than say the v-6 "time Wise"?
#12 Tue, 02/21/2012 - 12:17pm
.
#13 Fri, 03/02/2012 - 11:17am
If anyone has questions please email me at tigercnk@yahoo.com. Current pricing is $12,000 for the lighter model and $10,500 for the standard model. Both are vacuum bagged epoxy lamination.
Mahalo
Tiger
#14 Tue, 02/21/2012 - 1:25pm
Aukina- Are you able to get any paddling in or are you relagated to constant steering?
#15 Tue, 02/21/2012 - 1:50pm
Great video...mahalo.
#16 Thu, 02/23/2012 - 8:54am
Love the music! Thanks Jimmy for a great video!
#17 Sat, 02/25/2012 - 10:10am
Working on doing a better video with several camera angles to show the full ability and ease this boat has. This boat is impressive on how big of seas it can handle.
#18 Sun, 02/26/2012 - 7:44pm
How much extra is the sailing rig option and how much does that option impede its ability to be re-rigged back to single ama paddle racing?
#19 Mon, 02/27/2012 - 10:08am
Wow! Super cool video. My friend Justin took me on that run once. I bet it would be so much fun in a 3man!!! That canoe looks awesome and it looks like it handles bigger water really well. Nice work Tiger! Also that is really awesome that it is truck-top-able. I can't wait to see this new 3man canoe in person. Does it perfrom well in flat water? Has there been any time trialing?
Thanks,
Gaucho
#20 Tue, 02/28/2012 - 9:10am
Is it just me or is there some V3 vs. V3 tension / static on OCP ?
FWIW .. Other 3man designs/options right around the corner.
aloha,
pog
edit to change V3 vs. V3 and to Add Nice job Tiger ... That thing is SOLID !
#21 Tue, 02/28/2012 - 11:11pm
Brudda
niccce vid. looks insane bro we took the tahitti one that was at kailua (3man) was good fun hard to steer though cause of the length of the tail. but other than that it's fast!! k aloha
#22 Thu, 03/01/2012 - 8:39am
Canoeman1: Was the canoe difficult to maneuver or too loose?
#23 Thu, 03/01/2012 - 8:51am
.
#24 Fri, 03/02/2012 - 11:17am
Team Jimmy vs. Team Timmy?
#25 Thu, 03/01/2012 - 1:13pm
Just wondering how popular V3 would be/are? How many clubs would buy one? What is the general opinion from paddlers? Great to have or could do without it? Let's hear it.
#26 Mon, 03/19/2012 - 3:26pm
I'm with hasto on this one : I'd really appreciate some feedback on that matter.
Looks like it's growing in popularity, due to light weight and ease to find a crew, regarding the OC6 standard issues.
In France it's still difficult to say. French are so tragically stuck to "let's do this like we always did and be sure to never change a thing".
I spoke recently with Fai Va'a French dealer : 2 in German clubs, same in English clubs. 1 in a French club, 1 to come in my club (still in tahiti, that sucks !)
Problem number one : The French canoe federation voted a new race rule where there is no room for V3 developement, until 2014 at least. (no room for any outrigger race developement to be true).
Clubs won't invest if there is no chance to race. Federation won't consider V3 if the clubs have no boat.
No race, no boat. No boat ... no race.
Seems very popular in Nouvelle Calédonie, with a lot of dedicated races.
#27 Tue, 03/20/2012 - 12:04am
The v3 seems to be gaining popularity in the community. I am disappointed to hear that any paddling organization would discourage the racing of them.
I asked the Southern California Racing Association: "What if I showed up to a race with a v3?" and they say "Great see you out there" with a big smile on their face. They might have been thinking yeah right this young guy he doesn't know what he's doing. Part of that is definitely true I don't know what I'm doing excalty but I like to go fast and have fun. I found it very cool that they expressed a willingness to let me bring a v3 to the lineup.
If we raced we would probably be very careful about interfering with 6man crews so that we avoid the stink. No need to make people upset right out of the gate like that. We probably wouldn't win anything but it would hopefully make a fun splash on the scene and get people talking; especially if v3 isn't slow. Hopefully lots of people will want to try it out. I am still new to the sport though and don't know the entire detailed history. My guess is lots of people have fielded new equipment/canoe and what worked stuck and what didn't..well didn't
Someone who I met recently who is very enthusiastic about the sport made a great suggestion. He said because he loves paddling 6man he wants to do similar paddling/training and racing during the winter series. So he said why don't we introduce a 3man to a winter series race so that he can still get that team experience to improve blending, technique and get some steering practice. I hope this idea comes to fruition
This is all just speculative but I feel that in southern California people are being very open to new equipment/canoe. Newer equipment/canoe is lighter and in general more user friendly for women and keiki. Plus if it was me as a keiki seeing this sweet rocket ship looking canoe I would be so freakin jived to get in that thing and be like Wahooo! vvvRRrrOOOooMMM!!! I still am like that though so maybe I'm just a big keiki.
Very important to mention that introducing a new class places more responsibility on race organizers who we all have to be so very grateful for. They are the people behind the curtain not getting paid and sometimes being the ones who pay the most. So if we are so quick to introduce new class we have to be patient and respectful to the organizers putting on the event.
I think that if people want to race the v3 in Cali, Hawaii, or anywhere else in the world then they will. Even if the race is an unsanctioned wild west style showdown.
#28 Tue, 03/20/2012 - 8:53am
How have you been liking your V3 gaucho?
#29 Tue, 03/20/2012 - 10:03am
Crazy fun but I'm about to sell it and move back to Hawaii. Hopefully build more there...
#30 Tue, 03/20/2012 - 11:33am
Gaucho,
I like your approach. You sound like an akamai braddah, progressive yet respectful.
-Kaneohe
#31 Tue, 03/20/2012 - 8:48pm
Gaucho, you made my day !
I feel just the same.
It is said that adults are just children with more expensive toys ;-)
#32 Tue, 03/20/2012 - 9:48pm
So how many V3 's are there on the mainland & Hawaii? Any guesstimates? Do you see these canoes becoming popular & even have their own races in future like they do in Tahiti?
#33 Tue, 03/20/2012 - 11:52pm
Late last year I know there were 3 sent to California from FA'A, two went to our club and one went up north to Oregon I believe. We're hoping to get two more at the end of this year.
#34 Wed, 03/21/2012 - 6:01am
I'm pretty sure NAC has one as well
#35 Wed, 03/21/2012 - 6:15am
5 Fai Vaa V3's came on the first container from Tahiti last September: 1 in Hawaii, 3 west coast, 1 miami. A new order is being place in April with several more to Hawaii and a few more to west coast.
#36 Wed, 03/21/2012 - 7:52am
The V3 in Florida arrived at its new home in Clearwater (Tampa area) as well as a V1.
#37 Wed, 03/21/2012 - 10:19am