Building the Model

This 1/6-life-size model of the Hōkūle‘a was commissioned by the National Library of Medicine for this exhibition. The model was built by Tay Perry and Jay Dowsett of Honolulu to the general specifications of the 1976 Hōkūle‘a and made entirely from native woods and materials, except for the lashings. The model is 10 feet long, compared to the 60-foot-long Hōkūle‘a.