Pacific Paddler April 2013 - (Page 24)

'uncle' Bobby Puakea and Ricky Bermudez receive recognition from the Hawaiian Civic Club with a Kahili. uncle Bobby also acknowledges blessings from above (a downpour of approval). puakea Foundation He learned by watching his father, Robert While keeping traditions alive, Bobby has also Puakea Senior, build canoes while growing up on embraced modern technology using jig saws and he is the teacher and has a workshop at Heeia father would use different types of adz to carve the Kona-side of the Big Island of Hawaii. Today State Park where he repairs and builds koa canoes. Currently 'Uncle' Bobby Puakea is rebuilding the Honaunau, Honolulu Pearl Canoe Club's koa canoe that was broken apart at a regatta in Nanakuli. When the Honaunau smashed onto the beach, 'Uncle' Bobby was watching from the sand dunes above and went down to the grief stricken club routers to make his work easier. Before WW1, his and sculpt a canoe. The adz were made for Bobby's father by a Japanese carpenter who he worked with at Parker Ranch as a paniolo (cowboy). The adz's were similar to what the Japanese used to make their houses and temples, shaping the lumber to interlock with each other without using nails. Bobby still has those tools, a chipper, a planner to tell them he would help put her back together and a scooper. "He kept his blades so sharp that Canoe festival demonstrating how he is patching worked it was effortless," Bobby said. He taught again. Recently he was at the Kualoa/Hakipu'u together the Honaunau — replacing the brittle thin sections with thicker koa wood. When finished the canoe will be longer, stronger and faster. Uncle Bobby hopes one day they can create an he could shave the hair on his arm… so when he him to take good care of his tools. Now it's more important because, he said, if his equipment breaks down he's stuck. "An adz's can be resharpened." "There are different types of koa," he explains education center at He'eia where traditions can be to the visitors watching him work. "There is the down a koa tree to make koa canoes; now we wait then there's the younger wood, which is lighter," and uncle Booby in a traditional greeting. Kahu Ryan Kalama, (in yellow) from the Hawaiian Civic Club was there to present the Kahili award to uncle Bobby. The Puakea foundation donates buckets of left over koa to the women's prison so they can make bracelets. of his built him a metal "gizmo" that guides his router. He then uses another tool to measure that angle then slices a new piece of koa to fit. Uncle Bobby invited the visitors at the canoe curly, that everyone wants for their furniture, and festival to come down to Heeia State Park to see he added, less brittle than the harder curly koa. the State to build a hale (house) for the Puakea to the Hamakua Coast on the 'Big Island', above the out a patch and it's not at an angle, the plug will on covering three thing: Learning about canoe years they have planted over 850 acres of koa. an angle, so it can be wedged into place. A friend passed on. "In the old days, we were able to cut for them to fall down. But Bobby isn't waiting for them to fall. He plans to take 15 adults and 15 kids 4,5000- foot level, to plant trees. Over the last 35 "The trick to patching with wood is if you cut fall through." To fix this he planes the wood at his workshop. Recently he was given permission by Foundation to continue with it's work. Bobby plans building, paddle making, and reforestation. The Puakea Foundation is holding a Casino Night, April 13th, to raise money for their new halau. Check out their website, puakea.org for more information. 24 Pacific Paddler - April 2013 http://www.puakea.org http://www.puakea.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pacific Paddler April 2013

Kanaka Ikaika
Partick Dolan
Kauai Hoe Wa'a
HIPA
HHSAA Championship
Molokai World Championships
Festival of Canoes
Puakea Foundation
SOCAL Ocean Racing
James Moore-morial race
Canadian Outrigger
HOENA WALE NO!
Think 3D in exercise
Hawaii Ocean Expo program
Insurance for canoes

Pacific Paddler April 2013