Aloha!

I just returned from Kona, where we did a poopload of outrigger paddling, in singles and traditional 6 person.  I had the luck of meeting on the water a maker of standup paddleboards (Hulakai brand) who consented to trading watercraft.  I fell in three times and found it very easy to climb back up.  Following his instructions to focus far ahead and keep the legs and hips loose, I began to make the board MOVE.  If y'all get a chance to try one, do.  It is the strangest thing to feel so much more connected to the water than I ever have in a kayak or canoe.

To find that SUP riders competed in the Molokai Challenge (32 mi Molokai to Oahu) impressed me even more!   http://www.standuppaddlesurf.net/2008/07/09/quiksilver-edition-molokai-challenge/  With a finishing time in 2004 of 4hr 45min the winner clocked an average speed of 6.73 mi/hr.

After surfing the web a bit I found that the weight of CLC's Kaholo exceeds the 20# of the C4 Waterman carbon fiber 14' craft but at a much lower price point.  If the bug is still in my system in three weeks, I'm building one!

Huki!

Huki,

I'd be willing to wager you can shave the weight of the Kaholo considerably off the marketed finished weight.  CLC puts a fair bit of wiggle room in their design specs to accommodate all types of builders from novices on up.  I built my Northbay a shade lighter (about 10 pounds) than the marketed weight and I didn't do too many things to deliberately save on the weight.

Build one and I 98% guarantee you won't be disappointed.

FrankP