John Puakea Teaches the Tahitian Outrigger Paddling Technique

Canoe designer and championship coach, John Puakea teaches us the Tahitian paddling technique that Shell Va’a is using to dominate the canoe races. This technique is almost opposite to what we are used to hearing. Now it’s time to try it out and make it work.

John Puakea is the founder of Puakea Designs, an innovative paddlesport design company that delivers products and services to elite-level as well as recreation paddlers. Puakea Designs team riders include world-champion paddlers Danny Ching, Jimmy Austin, and Lauren Spalding.

John is an internationally sought after canoe builder as well as a championship- winning paddling coach, whose career as a canoeing innovator and promoter has evolved with the expanding paddling sports market.

Over years of coaching, John’s own experience as an elite paddler, combined with his talent for refining technique and efficiency, have nurtured the best assets of other paddlers at the highest level of competition. After coaching the US National Kayak Team at various Olympic training centers, homesick, John moved back to Hawaii to coach various top outrigger canoe teams, including both the men’s and the women’s team for the winning Outrigger Canoe Club in Waikiki for six years.

As an exceptional technical coach, John has helped push world-class paddlers to the next level in international competition. His ability to improve the performance of already-elite paddlers also led Team Bradley to consecutive first-place finishes in the Molokai-to-Oahu Na Wahine O Ke Kai, and to the fastest crossing time by any women’s team in the history of the race.

John’s knowledge of body mechanics complements his strengths in canoe building. His top-performing designs include the Kaimana, the Kainalu, the Pueo 1—and the new superstar, the Ehukai—OC1 canoes. New in production is his very fast unlimited-class OC6 canoe, owned by various West Coast mainland and international teams in anticipation of top times in this new ultralight division. Top Tahitian team Shell Va’a chose John’s OC6 for the grueling Olamau Race 2013, and won in all three stages.

John’s inherent craftsmanship and design finesse come from an early indoctrination into canoe culture by his father, Bobby Puakea, beloved coach, renowned wooden- canoe builder, and Puakea Foundation of Hawaii founder. While traditional sensibilities and a duty to cultural stewardship inspire John’s designs, speed considerations drive the end product. John’s elegantly styled canoes are among the fastest and race-proven on the water anywhere in the world.

For the wider paddling community, John is continuing to advance paddling performance with this new line of products, including outrigger and SUP paddles, applying the same technical and aesthetic standards used in his OC1s and OC6s. Additionally, John is available for coaches’ clinics, team clinics, as well as for private coaching.