• Hawaiian Canoes had one piece wooden hulls, rather than hulls built of planks and were made from the Acacia Koa (found only in Hawai'i), as well as other native and non-native drift logs.

• There were two types of Hawaiian canoes, single hull and double hull. There was no differences between the hulls of the two types. The single hull canoes had an 'ama or outrigger connected to the hull by two 'iako while the double canoes had two hulls joined together by two or more 'iako.

• In a hull, bottoms of both types were either rounded or U-shaped.
  

• The curves of hulls would contact the water in a longitudinally (length-wise) and transverse (cross-section) way. Hulls having a "calabash" shape (lower part of hull bulges out, and the upper part of the hull tucked in concavely) with a little concave, may also be seen.

• Every hull has a continuous rocker, with a convex fore and aft curvature at the bottom of the hull. Though some hulls may have a straight bottom.

• The bow and stern portions of a canoe are presented in a narrow, tapered, and rounded entry and exit shape.

• Hulls in the transverse section (mainly ends of a canoe), are characterized by "slack" or rounded curves.

• The midship section of a canoe is the most deepest and widest portion. Except for the Malo which is ihu-nui (big bowed canoe).

• Every double or single canoe has section of seats, gunnels, 'iako, kaupo'i, manu, and wae.

• "All rigging and lashing consisted of traditional coconut sennit or other vegetable fiber lashing."

Having a Hawaiian design, traditional features are only found in certain canoes for specialized uses.

• At the bottom of the bow or stern, a subtle keel or medial ridge is found. Whereas a rounded or semi- "V" or "V"-shaped hull is found more likely in the bow then in the stern. Having a bow and stern it will assist the canoe's entry and exit.

• A section of the bow and stern will vary within a canoe. Some canoes have narrow and fine entries. Some fishing canoes and blunt bows, push more water, than canoes that have finer entries. Finer and smaller canoes has less capacity than wide and full bowed fishing canoes. The narrower and sharper the entry, the faster the canoe. Canoes that have speed, and not high capacity have a finer stern.

• Sides of a canoe vary: having almost a straight-sided drop that makes almost a perfect "U" bottom, to a side that bulges out a lot. A calabash-shape in a hull increases the carrying capacity of a canoe. A calabash hull ride is high in the water even with a heavy load. Though a canoe with a straight side, and no calabash with the same load will ride lower in the water.

• Rocker or Banana is the convex fore and aft curvature of a canoe hull when looked from the side. The degree of a rocker in a hull varies, and it's the performance and use of the canoe. Having a banana shape the rocker is the continuous convex curve from the tip of the bow to the tip of the stern. The bigger the rocker in the hulls bottom line the better it will ride in the waters. Having a more striaght or pointed rocker the better it will be in water, then having a rocker being flat.

• Hawaiian canoes had flat bottoms, sometimes some being straight, whereas it had transverse curves that it appeared flat. Having a canoe with a stern and less frequently bow it looks like a halved sausage. Some hulls has high carrying capacity that are mainly fishing canoes.

• The gross design of a Hawaiian canoe will determine the canoe type and use. Two canoes having the same length may differ in depth and width. Due to that one might be light, sleek, narrow, and a low freeboarded racing canoe, and the other being heavy, deep,wide-hulled freight or rough water canoe.

• Paddling or sailing canoes are light weight (uses either a heavy, medium, or light density koa, pine, wiliwili). The thickness of the hull determines the canoes weight.

• Functions like speed, carrying capacity, windward sailing ability, surfing ability, seakindliness, rough water capability, safety, light construction, and durability are important, especially in certain water conditions.

• A secondary design determines the type of canoe.

• Hawaiian canoes are secondary design features.

• Every canoe has it's own design, special edition, and signature model.

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