If you’ve walked around Old Mill or Riverbend in the summer months, you’ve probably seen the 40-foot canoes hauling up to the Healy bridge and back again. Or perhaps you’ve heard the calls of “hut” and “ho” from the riverbank and wondered who was out on the river yelling. Somehow, despite their unavoidable size and presence on the Deschutes, the Bend Oregon Outrigger club (BOO) continues to be one of Bend’s best-kept secrets.
The club today is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with approximately 30 members but started as a couple in 1991 with a vision and a love for paddling. Formed by Dave and Meg Chun, a well-known couple in the Bend paddling community and the founders of Kialoa Paddles, the club spent the early 90s paddling around Mirror Pond. BOO’s infancy was fueled mainly by women with endurance sports backgrounds, many of whom had strong ties with Hawaiʻi. Over time, the canoes began to attract some curiosity, which led to a more formal club with members, races and a tight-knit community of paddlers. Since its inception, BOO has provided an opportunity for team recreation on the river, but it’s also provided something deeper — a connection to traditional Hawaiian and Pacific Islander culture.
Being so far from home, in a culture that’s far from Hawaiian, it makes sense that people with ties to the island perk up a bit when they see an outrigger canoe on the Deschutes. If you’ve ever stayed at a beachfront resort in Hawaiʻi, you might have noticed or even signed up for a sunrise paddle in these 6-person canoes. Today, it’s a popular activity for tourists, but the cultural significance goes much deeper. Outrigger canoes (OCs) have existed in Hawaiian life since the third century, when voyagers from other Pacific Islands arrived on Hawaiʻi’s shores in these sea-worthy boats with a single hull (waʻa), connector arms (ʻiako), and a float (ama) attached to the left side for stability. OCs have been used for centuries as a means of transportation, fishing, voyaging, and racing. Steeped in pre-colonial Pacific Islander history, these canoes can carry a powerful sense of home for those who’ve left the islands.
BOO member Keone Peiler, who was born and raised in Haleiwa, Hawaiʻi, found himself back in a canoe for the first time in 20 years in the middle of Oregon. Peiler moved to Bend in 2017 and began his search for a sport that would help him tap back into his competitive side. He knew the Deschutes would play a role somehow and was considering getting into stand-up paddleboard racing. But in 2025, his son found the outrigger club on Facebook and urged him to go to their new member meeting. “That was it — right there,” Peiler said. “I’ve gotta be in the water. On the water, touching water — something.” Having paddled through his teen years in one-man OCs and on his high school’s team, Peiler recognizes the spirit present within the BOO community. “It’s kind of like back home,” Peiler said. “If you bring a good vibe, we’re welcoming and willing to help you.”
The welcoming atmosphere and appropriate cultural representation of the sport are paramount for the club’s coaches, Todd Steinbach and Marvin Balaoro. “Culture and tradition seem to be getting watered down, forgotten or misappropriated,” Steinbach said. Balaoro and Steinbach break down every element of the paddling stroke from those who know the sport best — Hawaiians, Tahitians, and Fijians — to honor and respect the craft. “There’s a surprisingly strong connection between the Pacific Northwest, Hawaiʻi, and the Pacific Islands,” Steinbach explained. “The draw and reverence of nature, the care for our waters, the care for our community — those are all commonalities.” Even for members of the club with no ties to the Pacific Islands, BOO is a welcoming force that takes even the most novice paddler under their ʻiakos. “Paddling teaches you about yourself, and you learn about others. It puts you in a position to work with others to succeed — or to fail,” Steinbach said. “Learning how to paddle a 40-foot, 400-pound canoe with five other people and move together as one is incredible.”
According to Balaoro, the club’s next move is to level up its racing game by purchasing an ultralight canoe. “We currently have a heavier canoe that runs slower, but it feels great to beat people in a faster canoe,” Balaoro said. “When we get that ultralight and compete, we’ll be on a level playing field where we can really see where we stack up with the other teams.” But the vision doesn’t stop with securing a faster canoe. For BOO’s coaches, the goals are even higher, with the ultimate hope to bring teams to Hawaiʻi to race. When asked what coaching means to him personally, Balaoro expressed his desire to give back to the sport. “I found this sport at a time when it made a big difference in my life,” he shared. “Now is a good opportunity to give back to the sport in a way that can impact other people. It’s rewarding to see people get really into the sport and seeing them improve, as well as seeing the club grow.”
If you’ve only heard the “hut” and “ho” from Riverbend Park, you might think of the sport as noisy and maybe even a bit flashy. But within the canoe is a different scene entirely. Paddlers operate in meditative near silence. Silent entry of the blade, cascading water droplets on the river’s surface with each return for the next stroke, and repeat. Into the river together, out of the river together. Balaoro and Steinbach emphasize at least once every practice that “timing is everything.” This deeply ingrained synchronicity of the team continues even once the canoes are hauled out of the water and is visible in the ways members show up for one another inside and outside of practice. “Everyone comes to this sport looking for something, and it’s all for different reasons. And I think a lot of people are able to find that — whatever it is they’re looking for,” Balaoro said. “The sport gives back whatever somebody is looking for, without that being the intention. It’s just there.”
Bend Oregon Outrigger’s Ultralight Canoe Fundraiser
Mon, July 20
Mountain Burger
2747 NW Crossing Dr, Bend
mountainburgerbend.com/
*Must mention the fundraiser when paying
This article appears in the Source July 2, 2026.
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