KIALOA, manufacturer of innovative products for paddlers including stand up paddles and boards, outrigger paddles, dragon boat paddles, canoe and kayak paddles, accessories and apparel announces its 25th anniversary.
Born on the island of Oahu in 1991, KIALOA Paddles grew out of founder and designer Dave Chun’s love for the modern-day sport of outrigger canoe racing. Driven by the need for performance equipment and a desire to build the best paddles in the world, Chun started crafting wooden paddles in a makeshift shop on his parent’s lanai.
Twenty-five years later, Dave Chun is still at the helm of KIALOA’s design team and leads the company into exploring and using alternative materials and technologies, always striving for excellence. KIALOA was the first to use recycled CFRT in paddle blades, a more ecofriendly composite material than traditional carbon fiber and epoxy. KIALOA was also the first to market with LeverLock technology — a state-of-the-art adjustability system
for paddles.
Though KIALOA’s product line has expanded to include the categories of stand up paddling, dragon boating, canoeing and kayaking, the company still holds true to its roots and core values of Po’okela (excellence), Laulima (teamwork), and Mālama (stewardship) which are steeped in the tradition of outrigger paddling.
Twenty-five years after Chun shaped his first paddle, KIALOA still believes that paddling is really about people. Whether your goal is to win a race, enjoy time with friends or to find solitude on the water, the true essence of paddling is the experience and the relationships that are born out of that shared experience.
(Photo above: Dave Chun shaping paddles | Photos Courtesy of KIAOLA)
