FAQs

Where is Hana Hou Paddlesports located?

We are in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island, BC. We do not have a storefront, but are happy for you to come to our warehouse to pick up gear if you're in town or passing through.

Can I try some demo boats or paddles?

Absolutely! Just contact us right here through the website, and we can arrange for you to come try demo canoes and paddles here in Comox pretty much anytime. When not hindered by a global pandemic, we also try to do annual canoe demo sessions in Vancouver, Victoria, and Kelowna. 

Why are your boat prices in USD?

We sell the canoes on consignment, which means we don't pay the manufacturer for them until you are ready to pay us for them.

Because of how volatile the exchange rate has been in recent years, if we gave you a quote in CAD and then the canadian dollar were to strengthen, you could be overpaying for your canoe by hundreds of dollars. On the flip side, if the canadian dollar were to weaken, we could lbe overpaying and lose all our commissions (we learned this the painful way!). So to keep things fair for both our customers and our small business, we provide our customers with the same exchange rate that the bank provides us with upon purchase of the boat.

If you're wanting to pay for your boat in full at any time prior to its arrival, we can arrange to pay for it early and get you the CAD price early as well.

We are also happy to take payments in USD - all we ask is that all your payments be in one currency.

What form of payment do you take?

Currently we only take e-transfer, cash, and cheque. To compensate for credit card processing fees, we would need to apply a 3% surcharge to credit card payments, and due the already high expense of these boats we've been reluctant to do so. But recognizing that people find credit cards convenient and are often keen for the points or rewards they offer, we may move toward accepting credit card payments in the future.

Do taxes apply?

There is 5% GST on all boats, and an additional 7% PST on boats for BC residents.

- PST doesn't apply for boats sold to people living outside of BC.

- Status First Nations are tax exempt, provided we deliver the canoe to the reservation.