To no one’s surprise, Shell Va’a won the recent 2022 Catalina Crossing. What is surprising is that they dominated the race. Aside from their rigorous training and impeccable paddling technique, especially on ocean swells, Shell Va’a had a secret weapon.
For the first time, the celebrated Tahitian team paddled a new, lighter version of the ARE Tahiti V6 Matahina. This new V6 Matahina is 60 pounds lighter than the traditional V6 Matahina, already very fast and ideally designed for racing conditions on challenging ocean waters. Due to minimum weight restrictions in Tahiti, the home of outrigger paddling, all racing teams are required to paddle this or similarly heavier canoes.
ARE Tahiti Now Offers Two V6 Matahinas
ARE Tahiti redesigned its time-tested V6 Matahina in response to the growing number of competitive paddlers in North America and around the world who wanted a lighter canoe. In doing so, they have created the definitive balance of design, weight, and glide—in effect, the next-generation ARE Tahiti V6 Matahina.
ARE Tahiti is already delivering more and more of the lighter V6 Matahinas. The new V6 Matahinas made a big splash at the recent 2022 IVF Va’a World Sprints in England, where they were used exclusively. And the most recent notable order was from Shell Va’a team captain, David Tepava, who, after getting a feel for the canoe at the Catalina Crossing, decided his team had to have one of their own.
Tepava’s Shell Va’a team appreciated paddling the lighter V6 Matahina, with its extra-smooth glide through the water—as if the world’s premier outrigger team needed any additional competitive advantage! While Shell Va’a will continue to race and train on the traditional V6 Matahina in Tahiti, one gets the impression that the new, lighter V6 will be the Shell Va’a canoe of choice when it races outside of French Polynesia.
For more information on ARE Outrigger World, visit the ARE Outrigger Website: aretahiti.com.
To no one’s surprise, Shell Va’a won the recent 2022 Catalina Crossing. What is surprising is that they dominated the race. Aside from their rigorous training and impeccable paddling technique, especially on ocean swells, Shell Va’a had a secret weapon.
For the first time, the celebrated Tahitian team paddled a new, lighter version of the ARE Tahiti V6 Matahina. This new V6 Matahina is 60 pounds lighter than the traditional V6 Matahina, already very fast and ideally designed for racing conditions on challenging ocean waters. Due to minimum weight restrictions in Tahiti, the home of outrigger paddling, all racing teams are required to paddle this or similarly heavier canoes.
ARE Tahiti Now Offers Two V6 Matahinas
ARE Tahiti redesigned its time-tested V6 Matahina in response to the growing number of competitive paddlers in North America and around the world who wanted a lighter canoe. In doing so, they have created the definitive balance of design, weight, and glide—in effect, the next-generation ARE Tahiti V6 Matahina.
ARE Tahiti is already delivering more and more of the lighter V6 Matahinas. The new V6 Matahinas made a big splash at the recent 2022 IVF Va’a World Sprints in England, where they were used exclusively. And the most recent notable order was from Shell Va’a team captain, David Tepava, who, after getting a feel for the canoe at the Catalina Crossing, decided his team had to have one of their own.
Tepava’s Shell Va’a team appreciated paddling the lighter V6 Matahina, with its extra-smooth glide through the water—as if the world’s premier outrigger team needed any additional competitive advantage! While Shell Va’a will continue to race and train on the traditional V6 Matahina in Tahiti, one gets the impression that the new, lighter V6 will be the Shell Va’a canoe of choice when it races outside of French Polynesia.
For more information on ARE Outrigger World, visit the ARE Outrigger Website: aretahiti.com.
