Although the Hokule ‛ a was made of synthetic materials instead of traditional ones such as koa wood, the vessel was designed to replicate ancient canoes in build, appearance, and performance.
Hokulea gan bija taisīta nevis no tradicionāliem materiāliem, piemēram, koas koka, bet no mākslīgiem, taču pēc konstrukcijas, izskata un ekspluatācijas īpašībām tā atbilda seno kanoe paraugam.