Outrigger Gear Review - Puakea Cantare (Ozone)

This is our fourth outrigger canoe review! This article will reference the last two boats as design comparisons and flatwater test results. You can check them out here - https://www.k2nonlinepaddleschool.com/post/outrigger-gear-review-kai-wa-a-draco-pro-ozone

https://www.k2nonlinepaddleschool.com/post/outrigger-gear-review-kai-wa-a-ares-ozone

https://www.k2nonlinepaddleschool.com/post/outrigger-gear-review-puakea-kahele-ozone

Currently we have Canoe Specs, Measurements, Boat Comfort/Quality of Life, and Flatwater Testing.

I am 5ft 6 (167cm) and 140lbs (63.5kg) slightly above the intermediate skill level as a reviewer. I typically fit in all canoes without issue but have a good general idea of a paddler being too big for a given vessel based on club members using boats.

The Cantare has pushed the design of canoes to a new realm: for smaller sized paddlers. Following the ideology behind Olympic sprint boats being sized for specific paddlers, the Cantare is shaped for lighter racers. Its shape facilitates less wetted surface area and being shorter/low volume means lighter paddlers can push the boat low enough into the water to maximize the waterline available. Being a smaller paddler myself its fun to test out something that is sized specifically with someone like me in mind and the shapes they use to achieve that end goal. At 18ft3in/558cm it is remarkably short in the world of outrigger canoes, but after spending time going "fast" in 17ft/520cm K1 sprint boats you realize the boats length is not the whole story on its sustainable speed potentials.

Cantare Specs

18ft3in long x 16.25 inches wide (5.58m x 41.3cm)

Seat Depth- 4 inches/10cm (To Velcro)

Seat Depth with Seat - 3.5 inches/8.9cm

Seat Width - 15.75in/40cm

Footplate Leg Distance (Longest setting) 37.5 inches/95.3cm

Footplate Leg Distance (Shortest setting) 25 inches/63.5cm

Heel Depth 11.5 inches/29.2cm

Ama Distance (one setting) 29.5in/75cm (Hull edge to Ama Edge)

Boat weight for testing - 16lb/7.5kg hull

Rudder 4 Inch/10.6cm Ozone Flatwater

Outline Measurements from nose

15 inches from nose - 3.5 inches wide 38cm/8.9cm

30 inches from nose - 6 inches wide 76cm/15.2cm

45 inches from nose - 8 inches wide 114cm/20.3cm

60 inches from nose - 9.25 inches wide 152cm/23.5cm

75 inches from nose - 12.25 inches wide 190cm/31.1cm

Outline Measurements from tail

75 inches from tail - 12.25 inches wide 190cm/31.1cm

60 inches from tail - 10.5 inches wide152cm/26.7cm

45 inches from tail - 8.5 inches wide 114cm/21.6cm

30 inches from tail - 6.25 inches wide 76cm/15.9cm

15 inches from tail - 4 inches wide 38cm/10.2cm

Cockpit/Seated Area

Looking at the boat shape first, part of the design that decreases the wetted surface area to reduce drag is the V shape hull. I forgot to take a good photo with the boat upside down on land to show this, but with the photo of the hull on my shoulder you can see that taper from the bottom to top. This influences some of the feelings in the cockpit. Overall very similar to the Kahele and other Ozone models. The velcro seat is a half inch/1cm thinner so you sit a slight bit lower in the boat comparatively. At the top end of the cockpit there is a lot of space since that is the widest point of the hull. Plenty of room for leg drive within that spacing. At the bottom of the cockpit where the heels touch, there is very little space, since the boat is most narrow at this point. I wear a size 10 US Mens/26cm (I googled that for my international readers haha) and always go barefoot. My feet/heels make contact with each other at the bottom of the footwell. Wearing shoes may not be possible within this hull shape, obviously the design is for petite people and I may have disproportionate sized feet for my height.

Quality of Life Details

Similar praise with the other Ozone boats designs and little features that are luxurious. The auto centering rudder is always is a great feature for both paddling and even makes rudder swaps simple. The leash attachment points are well placed and don't ever feel in the way. Very high walls under the pedals give a good platform to heel drive off of, and the rudder position makes it difficult to accidently hit the pedals during leg drive. The iako system into the rear ama uses a twist system to allow close calibration of exactly where you want the boat. This can be really fun to change and play with to put the boat exactly where you want.

This length fits into standard garages easier which makes storage practical off the water as well. Being shorter at 18ft3/558cm makes it easier to manage off the water while loading/unloading. Less boat also means less weight which may be great for smaller women trying to maneuver it around. These first reviews have all been what I keep referring to as "modern" boats and these quality of life sections will have more range when we compare them to "older" models.

Boat Overview: The Cantare has a narrow outline, shorter length, closer ama and the V shape hull all work together to minimize drag. For smaller paddlers producing less power proportionately to larger paddlers these designs help make the boat feel "lighter" through the water. The seat may be slightly lower to make the ama being closer feel more manageable. Sitting higher is more leverage but also makes you feel tippier so that may have been a tradeoff in more center of gravity for less ama drag. It is similar in shape to the Kahele but is narrower in the nose/tail. That being said as the shape reaches the cockpit the boats are a similar overall width which facilitates the volume still needed to surf. It seems like its immediate strengths are accelerating quickly, and having the tail outline to still sit high on waves making getting onto runs take less energy. At my weight I utilize the entire waterline in flatwater and would assume at weights above 110 you would still have that same waterline. Like the Kahele this boat is designed to do well in various conditions as opposed to being designed for extremes.

(With all canoes your height, weight, age, current skill level and paddling environment will influence how each boat feels and that dynamic will continue to move back and forth on a spectrum forever)

Flatwater Testing Overview: For all tests ongoing we will be using the format of 3 miles 4827m at a specific stroke rate. This lake has the same water depth annually for consistency, and the course is marked by 4 buoys that do not change position making it easy to run different boats on the course for cross analysis. The Stroke Rate goal is a submaximal 55SPM with a margin of error for 1SPM 54-56spm. Noting boat weights and rudder sizes as potential future differences amongst similar shaped boats. This serves as a good general guide on boats that vary dramatically in shape, but will also be fun to see how boats compare and factoring in the outline measurements towards that.

Flatwater Testing - The Cantare accelerates quickly on start lines and around turns. Less wetted surface area is felt the most each time the boat is pushing back to speed. In choppy water this is a great feature when the conditions are working hard to slow you down, the boat is always working with you to get back to race speeds. That being said, being a shorter waterline like discussed with the Ares, it feels like it responds better to more strokes with less power more so than fewer strokes with lots of force. The feeling of more glide just seems more natural turning over quicker, and I had to force myself to stay at 55spm instead of taking easier strokes to hit 60spm. This is likely a good thing for smaller paddlers relying on finesse more than brute strength to get boat speed. For an all rounder boat this was an excellent output of speeds in the flatwater setting, being our 2nd fastest performance while testing.

Final Thoughts: It was a lot of fun using this boat, overall it has the shape to do well in a multitude of conditions and tackle large downwind proportionate to the riders skill level in the bump. Pushing hard to catch big ground swell is possible with its ability to quickly pickup speed and being short enough to slot between waves easily. This boat being optimized for my size means it wont translate for larger paddlers or may not even be an option. Within the Puakea line the Volare is the larger volume canoe which we will also get a chance to test out.

Thank you all for checking out the article. If you have any questions about boats or our online coaching feel free to message anytime via Live Chat or my email Robertnorman142@yahoo.com