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History of C/S/K and Choydesign, as it appeared in the January/February 2000 issue of Multihulls Magazine By BARRY CHOY In 1970 the MacMillan Company published "Catamarans Offshore," a watershed book written by Rudy Choy in an attempt to set forth the legacy of his famed partnership C/S/K and to tell the story of how he and his partners, Warren Seaman, Alfred Kumalae and Vince Bartolone, evolved their ideas and principles of successful catamaran design. From the earliest beginnings, specifically the late 1950s, they understood what even some of the most skeptical and hardened yachting traditionalists have only recently come to accept: that multihulls are not only superior to conventional yachts in many respects, but more importantly, are the wave of the future. From the very beginning Rudy, Warren, Alfred and Vince's fundamental design standards were creativity, simplicity and evaluation by careful empirical observation, notions that today stand anyone desirous of building anything operating according to the laws of physics, in good stead. The acid-test of success for each of their creations was conducted, not by using a slide rule, or with the boat tied to some dock as a showpiece, but in the open ocean. Following the publication of Catamarans Offshore, less than two years later, C/S/K was, at least outwardly, disbanded, and Rudy launched an ocean recreation company in Hawaii that would carry millions of joyful sun and star-seeking tourists on pleasure trips during its 24-year reign. This venture, which sprang from the very humblest of beginnings, was named in honor of Rudy's very first contemporary catamaran design: Aikane, the Hawai'ian word for "Friend." During the Aikane years up to the present, Rudy never gave up on his first love - designing and sailing oceangoing catamarans: a part-time project started in 1983 literally in the back yard of the Topanga Canyon home of partner and lifelong friend Warren Seaman, and assisted by Vince Bartolone and many others, was to enable Rudy to fulfill his life's dream: to own the transpacific elapsed-time record (see Multihulls A/S '89 pg 50 by John Conser). When, in 1989, the 62' Aikane X5 sailed across the finish line at Diamond Head 6d 22h after leaving Los Angeles, she was the sixth catamaran to bear that name. She was also the last collaborative design effort of C/S/K. The years leading up to her record were punctuated by some unforgettable creative opportunities and, perhaps, some of our best work. We were also blessed by the friendship, creativity and steadfast support of many people, friends both old and new. It is not without irony that a project that sparked a re-vamping of all our hull designs was traceable, in lineage, to Ancient Polynesia of over 1,500 years ago. In 1974 Rudy met with artist Herb Kane, University of Hawai'i Professor Ben Finney, and well-known Hawai'i waterman Tommy Holmes. Together, they sought to prove that, contrary to the theory expounded by Thor Heyerdahl, the Polynesians were capable of sailing, and had indeed, sailed North and East from the ancestral lands in Tahiti to what is today known as Hawai'i, without the use of conventional navigation. They envisioned a modern replica of an ancient Polynesian Double-Canoe, but had little idea of how to design and build one. Rudy created the lines and Warren began the construction of the 60' long Hokule'a, which not only succeeded in sailing to Tahiti and back without the use of modern navigation or instruments, but would transit all of Polynesia three times, covering tens of thousands of miles at sea, and is at this moment re-turning from a historic voyage to Rapa Nui (Easter Island). One of our most rewarding projects (and enduring successes) was the creation of the first luxury commercial passenger cat for developer Chris Hemmeters' famed Hyatt Regency Maui at Ka'anapali in 1979. Chris' only instruction with regard to her design was that she was to match, in every respect, the elegance and uniqueness of the resort. Except for this dictum, the design and construction details were left entirely to Rudy, Warren, Vince and Master Boat Builder Gilbert Iwamoto. Today, some 20 years after she sailed up to the anchorage fronting the Hyatt Regency, Kiele V, named in Hawai'ian for Hemmeters' daughter, Kelly, remains a perennial favorite of hotel guests and is sold out days in advance, year-round. We were again fortunate to work with Chris in 1990, who bought
into the idea of an ultimate-thrills racing Meanwhile, over two decades, from 1970 to 1990, Aikane Corporation was highly profitable, carrying over 250,000 passengers annually with revenues of over $4 million. Our dinner cruise operation was the "mistress" that prevented our involvement in design projects and for much of the time we considered only our own vessels, the last of which were each over 95' in length; planned future vessels were over 120' in length. But the beginning of the Gulf War launched the State of Hawai'i, almost solely de-pendent upon tourism, into a recession that still lingers. The recession forced the closure of Aikane and closed that chapter of our lives, at least for a time. In 1995, while in the midst of again engaging in a new entrepreneurial effort involving fast catamarans and the lucrative Hawai'i ocean activity market, Rudy suffered a stroke that robbed him of one of his best-known talents: his speech. With this totally unforeseen setback against the backdrop of the worst recession in the history of the Islands, we had to discontinue our new charter business. Though he retired following his stroke, Rudy regained his strength and is in excellent health, his speech notwithstanding. This July, he will celebrate his 77th birthday: not bad for a former beachboy who flew over Europe during some of the heaviest fighting of World War II in B-24s, an aircraft often referred to as "The Flying Coffin." I was lucky to have been part of a lifelong apprenticeship in C/S/K. I am now carrying on the legacy of my father and his former partners. While they taught me everything I know, they couldn't possibly teach me everything they know, and when I am around them I'm amazed at the depth and breadth of their experiences and insights. In addition to being present at the birth of virtually every C/S/K boat built, I spent most of my life working in every phase of Aikane Corporation - our Dinner Cruise Company. The experience introduced me to the commercial/charter genre at its very inception. I was fortunate to be Project Manager for Aikane X5 through four major modifications and co-designer of Kiele VI (and several designs that didn't leave the concept stage) and am on the verge of re-entering the market after a brief hiatus. Fortunately for me, I have an irreplaceable source of advice and creative input, albeit somewhat less verbose than in years past, my Dad, Rudy Choy. Parting shots At a gathering that followed Bruno's triumph, my father and I visited with the throng at the Hawaii Yacht Club when someone posed a question to me: "Have you (I took him to mean Rudy Choy/C/S/K) ever considered a big cat?" With a reserved smile I answered, "Yes, we have... in 1972." My point, of course, is that American designers as a whole, in my view, give up nothing in the way of ingenuity, creativity or skill to our cousins across the Atlantic. What we have lacked from the beginning, with notable exceptions, is sportsmen/partners like Steve Fossett. We applaud his latest effort PlayStation, by Gino Morrelli and Pete Melvin. With all of the astonishing wealth created by the high tech industry
in the last decade, why aren't there more "Steve Fossetts?" |
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