Rope rigging a traditional canoe is an art than goes back centuries in Polynesian culture. There are, of course, many types of canoes, and just as many rigging variants adapted to the particular vessel, but the general principles are the same.
Many outrigger clubs take the shortcut of using rubber straps (usually old bicycle tire tubes) to secure the ‘iako (outrigger boom) to the vae va’a (canoe hull spreader) and the ama (outrigger). With the new fiberclass racing canoes it’s almost universal. But it may surprise you that rope rigging is in many ways more secure. The rope has enough flexibility for the give and take of varying ocean conditions and waves. Too rigid a connection risks the ‘iako breaking away as it crashes down over a large wave. Too loose and the steadiness needed for steering and paddling is compromised.
As a club, we enjoy rigging and caring for our older canoes and keeping the art of rope rigging alive. Here are some videos to show you how it’s done, plus some club PDFs showing the step-by-step process. We hope you get to join the rigging party and learn the art yourself one day.
Rope rigging ‘iako to vae va’a
Kapolioka’ehukai OCC ROPE RIGGING INSTRUCTIONS #1: Rigging the ‘iako to the wae wa’a
Rope rigging ‘iako to ama
Kapolioka’ehukai OCC ROPE RIGGING INSTRUCTIONS #2: Rigging the ‘iako to the ama