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MY KAIWA'A LIFE

"This is what it's all about. Racing is racing but being out there on the ocean and enjoying it with your friends is the priceless thing about paddling"

~Kai Bartlett, adventurprenuer

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VIDEOS WE LOVE

VIDEOS WE LOVE

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Behind the Scenes: Kai on designing the Vela OC1

Behind the Scenes: Kai on designing the Vela OC1

01:42

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Draco Nose

Draco Nose

02:09

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Gorge Action 2021 - Kai Waʻa Ares OC1

Gorge Action 2021 - Kai Waʻa Ares OC1

03:45

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PNW Coast Adventures - Kai Waʻa Ares OC1

PNW Coast Adventures - Kai Waʻa Ares OC1

02:09

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Solo Video 2017

Solo Video 2017

26:13

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Tuarongo Cowan - Hawaii Kai, Hawaii

Tuarongo Cowan - Hawaii Kai, Hawaii

05:40

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Kainoa Tanoai - Kona, Hawaii

Kainoa Tanoai - Kona, Hawaii

00:42

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Kai Wa'a Rudder Installation

Kai Wa'a Rudder Installation

05:06

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Total freedom with the Vega

Total freedom with the Vega

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2019 M2M sneak peak

2019 M2M sneak peak

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Epic OC1 outrigger downwind surfing

Epic OC1 outrigger downwind surfing

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Vega - Prototype - Molokai Challenge 2018 - Kai Wa'a

Vega - Prototype - Molokai Challenge 2018 - Kai Wa'a

00:50

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Kai Bartlett - 2018 Birthday Gorge Run on Kaiwa'a ARES OC1

Kai Bartlett - 2018 Birthday Gorge Run on Kaiwa'a ARES OC1

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New favorite run at the gorge - #geminioc2 with @kaibartlett - action

New favorite run at the gorge - #geminioc2 with @kaibartlett - action

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M2M 2018 boat view w/ Tris

M2M 2018 boat view w/ Tris

03:35

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Kainoa Tanoai - North Winds - Kona

Kainoa Tanoai - North Winds - Kona

00:00

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Epic OC1 outrigger downwind surfing

Epic OC1 outrigger downwind surfing

00:00

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Kai Waa pre-race relaxation

Kai Waa pre-race relaxation

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Kaiwa'a at the PAA Ka'iwi Channel Relay - Molokai to Oahu

Kaiwa'a at the PAA Ka'iwi Channel Relay - Molokai to Oahu

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Kai Bartlett Maliko Hi Def

Kai Bartlett Maliko Hi Def

04:25

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Positively Kai: 32 mile SUP race | S1E14

Positively Kai: 32 mile SUP race | S1E14

08:15

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Pat Dolan Clinic

Pat Dolan Clinic

19:10

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Kai Wa'a Builds On Passion

Kai Wa'a Builds On Passion

04:33

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Interview with Outrigger OC-1 Champion Kai Bartlett in Maui

Interview with Outrigger OC-1 Champion Kai Bartlett in Maui

09:08

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MY KAIWA'A LIFE BLOG

Kai Wa’a Lele OC6 Ama - Bridging the Past, Present, & Future

Kai Wa’a Lele OC6 Ama - Bridging the Past, Present, & Future

Kai Wa’a Lele OC6 Ama - Bridging the Past, Present, & Future

In honor of the first HCRA State Championships featuring our Lele OC6 Ama since it was introduced, we sat down with Tiger Taylor of Tiger...

Aug 5, 20235 min read

Gorge Action 2021

Gorge Action 2021

Gorge Action 2021

The Gorge, June 18, 2021 exactly one month before my 46th Birthday. I have a lot to be thankful for. It’s all here in this video....

Jun 25, 20213 min read

Kai Wa'a Rudder Quiver

Kai Wa'a Rudder Quiver

Kai Wa'a Rudder Quiver

For the last couple of years I've been asked if we offer a deeper rudder for our canoes. For so long I've been happy with the Standard

Mar 6, 20214 min read

Team Since Ever Since ~ Kai Wa'a Valentine’s Edition

Team Since Ever Since ~ Kai Wa'a Valentine’s Edition

Team Since Ever Since ~ Kai Wa'a Valentine’s Edition

Meet Jason and Drea Park, team #sinceeversince, from the beautiful Washington State. These two are truly unique individuals with an...

Feb 14, 20214 min read

2020 Koa Nui

2020 Koa Nui

2020 Koa Nui

The 2020 Koa Nui Championship was one for the books. Conditions were pretty darn sweet and the competition was stacked with most of Hawaii’s

Mar 9, 20203 min read

Training Methodology: Paddle Faster for Longer

Training Methodology: Paddle Faster for Longer

Training Methodology: Paddle Faster for Longer

If asked to compare low-intensity training with high-intensity training, I think first I would explain my understanding of what low and...

Dec 9, 20196 min read

Introducing the Kai Wa'a Lele OC-6 Ama

Introducing the Kai Wa'a Lele OC-6 Ama

Introducing the Kai Wa'a Lele OC-6 Ama

Recently, I finished designing an ama for our six-man outrigger canoe (OC6). This was a project that I wanted to have fun with and wasn’t...

Nov 25, 20194 min read

CHATTAJACK 2019

CHATTAJACK 2019

CHATTAJACK 2019

I’ve done the Chattajack race religiously since 2017. For those of you who don’t know what the Chattajack race is, it’s a 32-mile race...

Oct 30, 20194 min read

Entrepreneur, paddler Kai Bartlett relishes life on and off the water

Entrepreneur, paddler Kai Bartlett relishes life on and off the water

Entrepreneur, paddler Kai Bartlett relishes life on and off the water

Special thanks to Kyle Galdeira for this write up, your continuous support of paddling here in Hawaii and for capturing the many aspects...

Sep 15, 20191 min read

Beginning Our Endless Summer

Beginning Our Endless Summer

Beginning Our Endless Summer

I was surfing and connecting waves like I’d never done on the one-man or two-man before, and by the time it was over I was thinking about...

Jul 7, 20193 min read

My 10th Molokai Relay Win

My 10th Molokai Relay Win

My 10th Molokai Relay Win

As I was on the escort thinking back through our years, Pat was out there in the race putting on a clinic for the rest of the competitors.

Jun 20, 20193 min read

Flat Water vs. Rough Water

Flat Water vs. Rough Water

Flat Water vs. Rough Water

You see, with a longer waterline on the Ares, once you find your glide it’s all about maintaining it through your stroke rate.

Jun 14, 20193 min read

My experience at the Wild Buffalo Relay

My experience at the Wild Buffalo Relay

My experience at the Wild Buffalo Relay

On March 31, 2019, I participated in the Puakea Wild Buffalo Relay race from Two Harbors on Catalina Island in California to the Newport...

May 1, 20194 min read

Weekend Warriors

Weekend Warriors

Weekend Warriors

30 Mile Amusement Ride on the Vega For the last couple of months I’ve been wanting to do a release video for our Vega Surfski. We had...

Mar 15, 20196 min read

Paddling New Mesmerizing Territories

Paddling New Mesmerizing Territories

Paddling New Mesmerizing Territories

New territories are always refreshing paddling experiences. Today, I had the opportunity to paddle around Cronulla with some of the guys...

Mar 12, 20195 min read

Chattajack 31 BUCKET LIST

Chattajack 31 BUCKET LIST

Chattajack 31 BUCKET LIST

Chattajack 31 is a bucket list race for sure. Just to experience Tennessee with the cities of Nashville and Chattanooga is well worth the...

Nov 6, 20184 min read

OTTAWA DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL

OTTAWA DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL

OTTAWA DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL

It's never too late to try something new. This past June I was invited to attend the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival and promote Outrigger...

Jul 16, 20183 min read

I FINALLY GOT THE ANSWER...ANDREA MOLLER

I FINALLY GOT THE ANSWER...ANDREA MOLLER

I FINALLY GOT THE ANSWER...ANDREA MOLLER

I finally got the answer. I kept asking myself “WHY?”. Why do I keep chasing the Kaiwi channel? Don’t get me wrong, there’s fun and it’s...

May 30, 20185 min read

I GEMINI...

I GEMINI...

I GEMINI...

My husband did a blog a few months back talking about the reasons why he Gemini's....He wrote about how we started doing some races on...

May 26, 20185 min read

2018 Molokai Solo

2018 Molokai Solo

2018 Molokai Solo

The week leading up to the Pa'a Hawaii 2018 Molokai Solo was full of wonder. Wonder what the wind will do, the wonder of who will be the...

May 25, 20184 min read

2018 Pa'a Hawaii Molokai Relay

2018 Pa'a Hawaii Molokai Relay

2018 Pa'a Hawaii Molokai Relay

When Kai asked me if I would be willing to write a blog post about our women’s team’s completion of the latest Pa'a Hawaii Kaiwi Channel...

Apr 27, 20182 min read

MAHALO

MAHALO

MAHALO

In the past week we have had two containers arrive here in Hawaii from Outrigger Zone. All the Kaiwa'a Ares and Geminis in these two...

Mar 18, 20183 min read

MAUI SPORTING GOODS JIGGING FISH TOURNAMENT

MAUI SPORTING GOODS JIGGING FISH TOURNAMENT

MAUI SPORTING GOODS JIGGING FISH TOURNAMENT

Maui Sporting Goods put on a jigging tournament to raise money for Hawaii Children's Cancer Foundation. This is a jigging only fishing...

Feb 13, 20185 min read

I Gemini...

I Gemini...

I Gemini...

I Gemini...to spend time with my Wife, Kealani. When the first race of the season came around I figured going with Kealani on the Gemini...

Jan 31, 20182 min read

OC-1 Fishing

OC-1 Fishing

OC-1 Fishing

OC-1 fishing is nothing new, paddlers have been fishing off their canoes for sometime now and why not. You can get a workout in plus...

Jan 26, 20182 min read

KAIWA'A SURFSKI

KAIWA'A SURFSKI

KAIWA'A SURFSKI

Since 2008 or 2009, we’ve shuffled around the idea of designing a Surfski. During that time I was head deep in manufacturing so my time...

Jan 5, 20181 min read

CHATTAJACK 31

CHATTAJACK 31

CHATTAJACK 31

Chattanooga ,Tennessee: This past fall I had the opportunity to fly to Tennessee to do the Chattajack race. This race is a 31 mile course...

Oct 28, 20172 min read

NORTHEAST CLINICS

NORTHEAST CLINICS

NORTHEAST CLINICS

In September Premier Paddle Sports invited me up the the east coast to do a road trip involving 3 clinics in 3 locations in 3 days from...

Sep 16, 20171 min read

GEMINI and THE GORGE 2017

GEMINI and THE GORGE 2017

GEMINI and THE GORGE 2017

In July there is a great race up at the Gorge on the Columbia River. The first weekend a OC-6 race is held on the Washington side of the...

Aug 3, 20172 min read

MOLOKAI SOLO

MOLOKAI SOLO

MOLOKAI SOLO

The Molokai Solo is the race of all races for OC-1. This is the World Championship of OC-1. The conditions were ideal, 20 knot trades...

May 10, 20172 min read

MOLOKAI RELAY

MOLOKAI RELAY

MOLOKAI RELAY

Molokai Relay is the 2nd most prestigious race to the Molokai Solo when it comes to OC-1 racing. Patrick Dolan and myself decided to...

Apr 22, 20171 min read

PAILOLO

PAILOLO

PAILOLO

This has to be one of the most fun races every year. This year, like last, I went with my 11 year old daughter, Lea in a mixed OC-2...

Apr 16, 20171 min read

ISLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS

Maui and Oahu had their island championships on the same weekend this year. I was originally planning on doing both races but ended up...

Mar 26, 20171 min read

KOA NUI CHAMPIONSHIPS

KOA NUI CHAMPIONSHIPS

KOA NUI CHAMPIONSHIPS

Koa Nui is the first big race of our OC-1 season. This race is a two day race consisting of three races ranging from a 2 mile sprint to...

Mar 11, 20171 min read

KAIWA'A MOLOKAI ADVENTURE

KAIWA'A MOLOKAI ADVENTURE

KAIWA'A MOLOKAI ADVENTURE

We did a Molokai adventure with our team this year. The idea behind Molokai is that it can be a true get away, but 99% of the time we go...

Feb 13, 20171 min read

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