A Boat of One's Own

A BOAT OF ONEʻS OWN 
By Allison Young 

As a member-owned electric cooperative, KIUC leverages funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its Revolving Loan Fund as a commitment to maintaining, strengthening and diversifying the Kauaʻi economy. The fund provides opportunities for not-for-profit and for-profit entities on Kaua‘i to obtain loans at lower-than-base-rate interest. 

In 2024, KIUC chose Komohana Charters as a recipient. Bethany and Koa Fuller, owners of Komohana Charters, live in Kōloa, where their children attend Kōloa Elementary. We talked story with Bethany about their journey. 

Aloha, Bethany! Please share a little bit about your ʻohana. 

Koa was born and raised on Kauaʻi, and has been on the water for over 30 years. His passion for the ocean comes from his grandfather Rick Fuller, who worked as game warden and flew single engine planes, working along the coast, and became one of the first captains to provide Napali Coast tours.  

Tell us about your journey for Komohana Charters. 

At the time, like many people on Kauaʻi, we were working in any way we could to make ends meet for our family. Koa did landscaping, commercial fishing, meat slaughtering, even digging trenches for an electrical union job. I worked in healthcare in Wyoming and also worked as a preschool teacher for a few years.   

We hoped to work for ourselves one day, but we had no idea how to make that happen until a friend asked if we wanted to purchase a commercial permit in 2018 out of Kikiaola small boat harbor. We did everything we could to make it happen. Koa owned our first boat for a number of years, which he used for fishing. He took the captain’s course in 2017, and had many people to verify his hours to become a captain. Once we purchased the permit, we converted the fishing boat into a tour boat, adding glass work, new paint and custom seating. This is the boat we used until the KIUC loan.   

How did Komohana Charters use the KIUC loan? 

It was kind of crazy how it all worked out. We knew we needed a second boat for our second permit, but despite our combined experience, we didn’t know how the loan process worked. It was scary at first. We went to the Small Business Administration for a loan, but the interest rate was extremely high. Our hearts were breaking.  

We found out about KIUC through a contact on the Big Island. Then we got in touch with the Small Business Development Center on Kauaʻi, and they helped us to get the documents ready for KIUC. At the time, we didn’t know much about the business side of things, like how to project cashflow or expand. SBDC was really helpful. They made it accessible for people like us.  

The loan went toward the purchase of two boats and trailers, replacement motors, maintenance and startup money for employee costs and marketing. The boats, which we named Koali and Maluhia after our children, are Glacier Bay catamarans with bench seats and can fit six passengers per boat.  

One of KIUCʻs values is Laulima, working together. Who’s on your team, and what do you do in the community? 

Right now, we have three employees. Koa is a boat captain, I work on the administrative side, we have one other captain and hope to hire a couple more. As a small business, in turn, we support other small businesses. Our bookkeepers are a group of local girls who are amazing. A local guy does all our design work and T-shirts. We also use one locally-owned concierge and a second that is native Hawaiian-owned.  

In the community, we are part of the Kikiʻaola Boaters Alliance Nonprofit. Our harbor is very busy between the tour companies and fishermen, so we work together to make local use of the harbor a priority. Our outreach includes donations to local schools, baseball clubs and ʻOhana Day, when all the boat companies in the alliance donate our boats to take locals out to the coast. We also donate to a number of fishing tournaments, the biggest of which is the keiki Kamaliʻi Challenge out of Port Allen. 

What type of tours do you offer? 

We specialize in small, private tours of the Napali Coast for either a full or half day (morning or afternoon). People primarily book private tours for their friends and family, ages 4 and older, although sometimes we have shared tours. Our goal is to customize our tours, so people can let us know if they want to prioritize sightseeing and snorkeling, caving, watching sea life or fishing (small tackle trolling). Koa is even an ordained minister and can marry people on the boat for elopements. 

Any reflections on Hoʻomau, perseverance, and achieving your dreams? 

At some points in this process, it was really hard dealing with uncertainty, but we persevered. Between SBDC and KIUC, with the business advice and low interest rate, we were able to get the loan and make it happen. At one point in the process, we had daily phone calls with Scott Sato and Bruce Nuzum with KIUC. I can’t say enough how amazing they were to work with. 

This is our dream, and we are so grateful. Our kids they love it. If there’s an open seat on shared tours, our daughter likes to pass out snacks. She wants to do this when she gets older. This is what we wanted, to support our family and a future doing this. Koa today was saying, “I hope I never take this for granted. This is amazing and insane, to be in the most beautiful place and on the ocean.” 

To book a tour and learn more about Komohana Charters, visit komohanacharters.com and follow them @komohanacharters on Instagram and Facebook. To learn about the Kīkīaola Boaters Alliance, visit kikiaolaboatersalliance.com. 

The KIUC Revolving Loan Fund is a great opportunity for both nonprofit and businesses located on Kauaʻi to obtain loans at lower interest rates.  ~Peter Yukimura, KIUC Board of Directors 

It is heartening to see a young, local couple show such tenacity and drive in ensuring the success of their business.  ~Teofilo "Phil" Tacbian, KIUC Board of Directors 

KIUC’S REVOLVING LOAN FUND 

The KIUC Revolving Loan Fund provides opportunities for not-for-profit and for-profit entities on Kauaʻi to obtain loans at lower-than-base-rate interest. The primary goal of this program is to build and maintain jobs, diversify Kauaʻi’s economy, and upgrade the public infrastructure when conventional financing is insufficient, unavailable or unfeasible. Applications are received year-round and reviewed by committee. For more information, visit kiuc.coop/revolving-loan-fund. 

Hawaiʻi Small Business Development Center 

The Hawaiʻi Small Business Development Center is a program of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo that provides professional business advice, research and training to business owners and new entrepreneurs to promote growth, innovation, productivity and management improvement. All fees for advising services are underwritten through funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration and the State of Hawaiʻi. Visit hisbdc.org to sign up.  

PHOTO CAPTIONS: 

Bethany and Koa Fuller with their 9-year-old daughter, Koali, and 6-year-old son, Maluhia, who are students at Kōloa Elementary.