Makani Catamaran

What Makani Catamaran does

Makani Catamaran, operated by Makani Nui Inc, is a privately held Honolulu-based sailing tour and private charter business running a single 64-foot custom catamaran out of Kewalo Basin Harbor, Slip F31. The vessel is a one-of-a-kind build by Gold Coast Yachts (St. Croix, USVI) using Core Cell Foam/Epoxy/Carbon Fiber composite construction, a rotating 70-foot Southern Spars carbon fiber wing mast with ARAMID Kevlar rigging, North Sails 3DL sails totaling 1,764 square feet, and twin Yanmar 125 HP turbo diesel engines with Gori folding propellers, capable of 30 knots under sail and 13 knots under power. Maximum capacity is 79 passengers with a 5-person crew, though daily scheduled sails run at a 50-passenger cap for comfort and private charters can host up to 80 guests.

The product portfolio consists of five offerings: four scheduled public sails (Fun in the Sun daytime sail at $75/person, Sunset Sail at $95/person, Friday Night Fireworks Sail at $65/person including open bar, and a New Year's Eve Fireworks Cruise at $150/person including Waikiki transportation) and customizable private charters billed hourly at $1,100 (day) or $1,300 (evening) with a two-hour minimum and a la carte add-ons for catering, open/cash bars, lifeguards, snorkeling, and ground transportation. Reservations run through an embedded FareHarbor booking widget on sailmakani.com, supplemented by phone, contact form, and a Go City Pass channel.

The customer base consists of leisure tourists visiting Oahu and Waikiki from the US, Canada, New Zealand, and Hong Kong, plus private groups organizing celebrations, corporate events, weddings, and romantic outings. Secondary demand comes from Go City Pass holders booking through a dedicated support funnel. The company is founder/owner-operated with no disclosed external funding, a small crew anchored by Captain Brad (Hawaii waters since the late 1980s, Grand Prix racing background) and Captain Cristina (10+ years on the water), and is supported by an organic content marketing program (blog, Facebook, Instagram) covering marine wildlife and Hawaii sailing topics.

Name

Makani Catamaran

Legal name

Makani Nui Inc

Website

https://sailmakani.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Makani Catamaran, operated by Makani Nui Inc, is a private Honolulu-based sailing tour and private charter operator running a single 64-foot custom catamaran from Kewalo Basin Harbor on Oahu's south shore, serving Waikiki tourists and private groups from the US, Canada, New Zealand, and Hong Kong.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Boat Tours and Charters

NAICS

Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (48721), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (487210)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Sightseeing & Scenic Boat Tours (Harbor, Sunset, Dolphin/Whale Watching) (THAJAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Yacht & Luxury Boat Charters (With Crew) (THAJALAE), Sailing, Catamaran & Day-Cruise Excursions (nature-focused) (THAAAIAG), Cruise Yacht Charters (Private Crewed) (THAEADAG)

Keywords

• Sailing tours
• Private boat charters
• Catamaran cruises
• Sunset cruises
• Marine wildlife tours

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Public Scheduled Tours: Revenue generated from ticket sales on scheduled public tours including Fun in the Sun Sail, Sunset Sail, Friday Night Fireworks Sail, and New Year's Eve Fireworks Cruise. Tickets are sold per person at fixed price points. Additional revenue from optional add-ons such as transportation ($8-$15 per person).
2. Private Boat Charters: Hourly rental of the catamaran vessel with a 3-person crew (Captain and Two Crew). Day charters at $1,100/hour, evening charters at $1,300/hour with a two-hour minimum. Additional revenue streams include water activity surcharges ($500), lifeguard services ($145/lifeguard), bar options (open alcoholic bar at $30/person, open non-alcoholic at $15/person, cash bar), catering, and harbor taxes (7.172%).
3. Beverage Sales (Cash Bar): Onboard cash bar sales of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages during tours. Non-alcoholic drinks priced at $2 each; alcoholic drinks $4-$8 each.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Makani Catamaran operates scheduled public sailing tours and customizable private charters aboard a single 64-foot custom-built luxury catamaran based at Kewalo Basin Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. The company sells per-person tickets for four scheduled tours — Fun in the Sun Sail ($75), Sunset Sail ($95), Friday Night Fireworks Sail ($65), and New Year's Eve Fireworks Cruise ($150) — and rents the vessel exclusively for private charters at $1,100/hour (day) or $1,300/hour (evening). Tours operate along Oahu's south shore serving tourists visiting Waikiki, with optional Waikiki transportation, open bar packages, catering, lifeguard services, and water activity add-ons.

Product overview

Makani Catamaran is a premier boat tour and sailing charter operator based in Honolulu, HI, offering a fleet of scheduled public tours and fully customizable private charters. The product portfolio consists of five distinct offerings: (1) Fun in the Sun Sail — a two-hour daytime cruise along Oahu's south shore; (2) Sunset Sail — a two-hour evening cruise timed to the Hawaiian sunset; (3) Waikiki Friday Night Fireworks Sail — a one-hour Friday-only fireworks viewing cruise; (4) New Year's Eve Fireworks Cruise — a special 1.5-hour event cruise on December 31st; and (5) Private Boat Charters — a customizable private-hire experience with hourly rates, optional snorkeling, catering, and bar packages. All tours operate aboard a single 64-foot custom-built catamaran, Makani, docked at Kewalo Basin Harbor, Slip F31, Honolulu.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 30 knots under sail / 13 knots under power
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Go City PassminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMakani Catamaran is listed as a participating attraction on the Go City Oahu pass, which bundles multiple Honolulu attractions for tourists. Go City customers access Makani through a dedicated booking support channel on the Makani website. This partnership provides Makani with visibility to the pre-existing Go City tourist customer base.
• Bento Box (Lunch Wagon)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBento Box is a lunch wagon conveniently located next to the Makani Catamaran check-in booth at Kewalo Basin Harbor. Customers are directed to this food vendor for pre-sail meals. The company explicitly mentions this as a convenience for customers but no formal partnership is described.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tradewind Charters: Hawaii sailing charter company offering private catamaran and sailing yacht charters for groups and events. Competes directly for private charter bookings and special-occasion sailing experiences across the islands.
• Captain Zodiac Raft Adventures: Oahu-based adventure boat tour operator running snorkeling, whale watching, and coastal excursions. Overlaps with Makani on marine wildlife and snorkeling use cases, though via a smaller raft-style vessel.
• Atlantis Cruises Hawaii: Operates submarine and surface boat adventures in Waikiki including sunset cruises and marine wildlife tours. Competes for the same tourist customer base with overlapping water-based scenic experience offerings on Oahu's south shore.
• Hawaii Nautical: Oahu sailing charter and tour operator offering private and group sailing experiences along the south shore. Comparable in product (sailing tours), customer base (tourists), and pricing model to Makani's private charter business.
• Star of Honolulu: Waikiki's largest dinner cruise and sailing tour operator, with a 1,500-passenger vessel offering sunset and fireworks cruises. Direct competitor in the same Waikiki sailing tour market targeting identical tourist customers with a closely comparable product format.
• Holokai Catamaran: Waikiki-based catamaran sailing tour operator offering similar sunset, whale watching, and snorkeling experiences. Direct competitor in catamaran-format sailing tours for the same Oahu south shore tourist segment.

Emerging players

• North Shore Shark Adventures: Oahu-based shark cage diving and marine wildlife tour operator on the North Shore. Overlaps in marine wildlife encounter use cases (whale watching, shark encounters) but serves a different sub-region of Oahu and a narrower adventure niche.

Broad incumbents

• Polynesian Adventure Tours: Larger Hawaii tour operator with a portfolio of island experiences including sailing excursions, circle-island tours, and luaus. Broader incumbent with a wider portfolio spanning beyond sailing, competing for the same tourist activity budget.
• Norwegian Cruise Line Hawaii: Major cruise line operating inter-island Hawaii cruises with on-board entertainment and shore excursions. Broad incumbent in the Hawaii marine tourism space, offering passengers similar sunset and coastal experiences as part of a multi-day cruise package.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Makani Catamaran