The ancient Hawaiians, being of Polynesian influence, were quite knowledgeable in the ways of sea travel. While the first ancient Hawaiians came from other Polynesian islands, those living in Hawaii soon developed their own methods and canoe designs to make traveling from island to island easier. The ancient canoe designs of the Hawaiians included sailing canoes and paddling canoes. Paddling canoes were easier to launch and land. However, canoes equipped with sails were typically quicker and easier to maneuver.

In Polynesia, each section of islands developed their own type of canoe. For the Hawaiian islands, canoes consisted of a deep, V-sided hulls that enabled them to pierce through the waves and navigate the waters even during windy weather. Under the waterline, the ancient Hawaiian canoes sported flowing curvature that not only minimized drag in the water but provided the canoes with a strong, sound base. The Hawaiians were aware that straight lines and basic curves resulted in structural weakness and increased the water’s resistance against the canoe; therefore they avoided both of these elements in their engineering.

Early types of canoe sail were made of fine matting. The matting was cut into strips and sewn into a large triangular shape. The resulting triangular cloth was secured to two spars to produce a sail. In most areas, such as the Cook islands, New Zealand, and Marquesas, the sail shape was an equilateral triangle-one in which all three sides are the same length. Eventually this type of sail was exchanged for a square-shaped one.

As time progressed, changes were soon needed in the shape of the canoe. One drastic change occurred during King Kamehameha’s conquests to unite the islands of Hawaii. His army was often making long trips in canoes that simply couldn’t carry enough supplies and weapons for the journey. To solve this problem, the peleleu class war canoes were developed. These canoes sported a deeper hull and fuller sails that enabled them to sail with or against the wind. They also came equipped with swivel guns and improved rigging.

Eventually the need for long-distance voyages dwindled away as frequent short-trips between the islands gained popularity. It was during this time that canoes became powered by manpower and paddles rather than sails. Early on, the men tasked with the job of paddling were usually the chief’s bodyguards, as they were highly trained and trustworthy. Paddling the canoes made water-travel possible regardless of the wind direction/strength and the current. The bottom of these canoes allowed more of a rounded shape as well as a shallower hull than their predecessors.

As times changed, so did the needs of the Hawaiian travelers. When Kamehameha passed a law that dissolved the boundaries between the island kingdoms, the Hawaiian people were allowed unhindered travel between the islands. This safer method of travel meant that the chiefs didn’t need an entire barrage of bodyguards to paddle the canoes, which in turn meant falling back to the sailing method of canoe power.

The engineering of European ships eventually had a huge impact on Hawaiian water travel. Still, most travelers elected to use canoes for travel and trading between islands all the way into the early 1900’s, long after European-style ships became a common sight in Hawaii.

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