Nicole Lawler
Maitai Catamarans has been offering fun sailing tours off Waikiki for nearly 50 years.
Maitai Catamarans has been offering fun sailing tours off Waikiki for nearly 50 years, named after its popular alcoholic drink made fresh daily and served on tap.
Now the small business is sailing towards a new horizon, building a first-of-its-kind vessel to launch this fall.
Beach erosion has taken a toll on the Maitai, prompting owner George Parsons to find creative ways to keep his business afloat.
While catamarans are usually built from carbon, aluminum or fiberglass, he is building a new boat made of titanium.
“If you take a piece of aluminum and titanium of the same thickness, the aluminum will be lighter, but bend easier, while the titanium may be heavier, but much stronger,” he said.
A bigger and stronger boat can help minimize the impact of erosion from its launch point on Gray’s Beach, which has dwindled over the years to a small patch of sand in front of the Halekulani Hotel, next to the Sheraton Hotel.
Maitai has come a long way since launching in 1976, when Parsons was handling small loans at First Hawaiian Bank and secured the last of six permits to sail off of the beaches of Waikiki.
Since then, he and his friendly crew have shared their love for the ocean with visitors and locals alike.
“I’ve been sailing on the Maitai for the past couple of years. It’s a great crew and I really enjoy it,” said crew member Jenna Wedekind. “I first learned to sail out of Lahaina but with everything that happened, I decided to come over to Oahu and sail out of Waikiki instead. I hope to one day make it back to Lahaina, but also love sailing off of the Waikiki shores too.”
Maitai Catamaran crew members say the new vessel marks a new era for the company that celebrates half a century of sharing aloha, one sail at a time.
For more information, visit maitaicatamaran.net.