Burn Damage on Club Canoes

Photo courtesy of Camie Kimball.

Several canoes by Kaunakakai harbor were damaged last weekend, including a Wa`akapaemua Canoe Club boat with a pair of burned patches left on the outside of the hull. Wa`akapaemua board member Camie Kimball said following a large party at the nearby Yacht Club venue Friday night, club members came to practice Monday to a shocking sight. The club’s new carbon fiber Unlimited canoe, purchased for $20,000 last year, had been burned through its thick canvas cover. The burns did not go fully through the hull, but caused significant damage.

“Someone must have sat there with a match,” she said, describing the time and purpose that seemed to be involved in causing the destruction. She said the canvas cover itself also cost in the thousands.

Another one-man canoe had also been pulled off the top rack of a trailer and left leaning against a tree, with one of its tie-downs burned. Canoes of a neighboring club were left covered in mud and footprints, Kimball said.

“Our message would be that parents… [and] kids need to have respect for the canoes down there,” said Kimball. “Teach them to have respect for other people’s property.”

Kimball added that the club is not yet sure of the repair costs. A police report was filed for the damage.