A refurbished canoe has given the Lanikai Canoe Club a refurbished look this year.

At yesterday's opening regatta of the season, it was the look of a winner.

Lanikai amassed 87 points to win the 16th annual Clement D. Pa'iaina Regatta at Ke'ehi Lagoon. It was the opening regatta of the season for the O'ahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association.

"It's nice to win the first one, but you can't put too much stock in it," Lanikai head coach Kalani Irvine said. "It's so tough to tell what's going to happen from the first regatta because all the clubs are still scrambling."

Lanikai won 10 of the 39 races in a canoe that had to be altered during the offseason. Lanikai did not participate in the state championship regatta last year because its koa canoe had a fiberglass manu (protective covering for the hull). According to state championship rules, the entire canoe must be made of wood.

In past years, Lanikai's canoe was identifiable by its green manu. Yesterday, the new wood manu was painted white.

"Last year was last year," Irvine said. "We got one (canoe) done and we're working on our other one. We're looking forward to competing at states again this year."

Hui Nalu won five races and placed second with 72 points. Kailua was third with 59 points, and Outrigger fourth with 55.

"I think those four large clubs are going to battle every week," Hui Nalu head coach Reney Ching said. "Lanikai looks like they have the most (paddlers), but hopefully we're going to get more paddlers out."

Lanikai got contributions from virtually every part of its club. Four of its victories came in the youth races, three in the novice races, and one each from the open men, open women and masters women.

The victory from the open men came by default in the prestigious men's senior race.

Hui Lanakila actually crossed the finish line first, but was later disqualified for a false start, giving runner-up Lanikai the official victory. The 1 1/2-mile men's senior race is considered the top division in regatta racing.

Unofficially, Lanikai awarded the victory to the Hui Lanakila crew of Raven Aipa, Mike Silva, Chris Tseu, Norm Bradley, Manny Kulukulualani and Adam Treinen-Aea.

"Those guys earned it on the water, so they deserve the win," Lanikai's John Foti said. "They spanked us, and it had nothing to do with that little edge at the start."

Hui Lanakila's Kulukulualani said of the disqualification: "It doesn't take away from us. We know we had a good race. But that's the rules. Now we know we have to do a better job of lining up at the start."

Hui Lanakila's membership was severely affected by the contaminated water in the Ala Wai Canal, but it still finished with 42 points to easily win the A division for small clubs. Hui Lanakila finished with seven race victories, second only to Lanikai's 10.

Last year, Hui Lanakila was a contender in the AA division for big clubs, but its membership was cut in half after the club relocated from the Ala Wai Canal to Maunalua Bay because of the contaminated water.

"We lost basically all our kids, and we lost maybe 20 to 30 men," said Kulukulualani, who coaches the Hui Lanakila men. "But if it's up to me, I'd rather not go back to the Ala Wai. We're a smaller club overall, but I rather do that and be safe. The paddlers we do have are good."

Hui Lanakila was especially strong in the men's races, finishing first in the freshman, sophomore and 40-older races.

Kailua kept pace with Lanikai early in the day during the youth and novice races. Kailua won six races, including three in the youth divisions and two in the novice divisions.

"It looks like we're going to be strong with our kids this year," Kailua head coach Kawai Mahoe said. "But we're lacking in the (masters) divisions. Hopefully, we can compete with Lanikai this year, but if we don't find more adults, it's going to be tough."

Many clubs around O'ahu lost paddlers because of the heavy rain and subsequent contaminated water conditions in March, but Lanikai increased its membership from last year.

"I think some people didn't want to paddle at other places so they came over to us," Irvine said.

Outrigger won six races, including the prestigious women's senior race. The crew of Mary Smolenski, Traci Phillips, Paula Crabb, Megan Clark, Kanesa Duncan and Kisi Haine completed the 1 1/2-mile course in 13 minutes, 5.76 seconds, to edge Hui Lanakila by five seconds.

Making it more impressive, four of those paddlers are older than 40, and Smolenski, Phillips, Crabb and Haine were later part of the victorious women's 40-older crew.

Outrigger also won the women's 60-older race, which was added to OHCRA regattas this year. The crew of Susan Heitzman, Barbara Bryan, Ann Bowen-Buck, Carol Cook, Sandra Simons and Keanuenue Rochlen finished the 1/2-mile course in 4:59.78.

"I think people are much fitter now and staying fitter longer," Bryan said. "Paddling is something you can do forever, so it's nice to be competing with and against our actual age group."

Hui Lanakila won the inaugural men's 60-older race.

The next OHCRA regatta is scheduled for Sunday at Kailua Beach Park.

KANE'OHE CONTINUES WINNING IN HUI WA'A

Kane'ohe Canoe Club won the Manu O Ke Kai Regatta yesterday at Hale'iwa Beach Park.

It was the second regatta of the season for the Na 'Ohana O Na Hui Wa'a organization.

Kane'ohe, which also won the season opener last week, finished with 67 points. Na Keiki O Ka Mo'i was second with 56.

Host club Manu O Ke Kai scored 55 points to win the AA division for medium-sized clubs. Waikiki Beachboys won the A division for small clubs with 36 points.

The next Hui Wa'a regatta is scheduled for Sunday at Ke'ehi Lagoon.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.