Hinatea
Skipper: Greg France
Owners: Doug Barna and Mark Shultz
Boat: Hatteras 41'
Power: Cummins C-Series Diesels, 300 HP each
Top Speed: 23 knots
Cruising Speed: 18 knots
Amenities: Tuna tower, spacious open salon, galley with fridge, comfortable restroom facilities, wide open clean cockpit with fighting chair. Also have GPS, depth, and Stereo. Wide, flat aft section for smooth ride.
This well-maintained Hatteras is open, spacious and comfortable, and one of the classic strike boats. Her tuna tower complements classic lines, and the clean wake invites fish into the lure pattern as well as any vessel operating on the water today.
Fishing Gear: Full comlement of Penn International 50 and 80 class reels, Rupp Riggers, transom door, Murray Bros fighting chair. Tackle and leader rigs all neatly organized below. The Hinatea is laid out to fish.
Experience, Style and Substance. Hinatea has been operating from Lahaina harbor since the early 1980’s. Their number one goal (besides catching lots of fish of course!) is Aloha Spirit and to show the customer a good time. They treat all their customers with dignity and respect and love to share their knowledge of Hawaiian fishing. Hinatea is family friendly and provides a great trip for the entire family.
Love the Job and the fish will follow. Mark has fished out of Lahaina since 1985, Doug for a little longer. At first when they committed to this style of life, they often wondered if it would ever not be fun and start to feel too much like a job. But their principle mode of operation has been all along “don’t wait for the fish to start biting before you have fun,” and this is why people get off the boat feeling like they received good value. They love to be out there and it clearly shows. From the beautiful views of Maui to the majestic scenery of the North shore of Molokai and the “back side” of Lanai, these fun-loving skippers enjoy being tour guides as much as fishermen.
But don’t let that fool you. The other motto on Hinatea is “no boat rides here, we go to catch fish!” Hinatea is distinguished for consistent catching and tag and release, and they hold the State record for the most tagged and released billfish with 101, set in 1995. They are proud to have tagged and released more marlin than any charter boat on Maui in the 90's and continue to set an example for conservation. Both Mark and Doug have had bouts with cancer unfortunately, so they no longer run the Hinatea but are still involved in the management of the boat. They hired an excellent father/son team of Peter and Chris Wong to run the boat. Peter has been fishing in Maui for over 30 years and his now grown son Chris is also a licensed captain so they make an excellent team. They share the belief of Mark and Doug that customer service and Aloha Spirit is most important. And by the way, they are also excellent at catching fish!!
Hinatea also offers 2-hour specialty private charter cruises for whale watching, sunset cruises, cocktail cruises, and other special occasions upon request.
Sportfish Hawaii is honored to represent Hinatea Sportfishing in our fleet of high class charter boats. Please call 1-877-388-1376 or email kathy@sportfishhawaii.com to book your trip today...otherwise they might be sold out!
From Tom who chartered Hinatea,
"Just wanted to drop a line saying how much Mary and I enjoyed our day on the Hinatea with captain Doug and Kai as crew on April 16. We missed what was undoubtable an ahi that managed to stip line out for 4-5 minutes before shaking the hook. It seemed like ideal conditions, thousands of porpoise feeding at the surface with lots of birds looking for baitfish. That is what makes it fishing. Doug and Kai put us on the mahimahi shortly afterwards. Just amazing to see a school of iridescant blue darting throuhg the water. Catching a 49 in, 24 lb female mahimahi near FAD "MC" was a treat that I will always remember. That may not seem like much to those used to fishing Hawaii, but I am used to freshwater. There is no freshwater fish that even comes close to the experience.
When I checked the charts to see how far out the guys had taken us, I realized that they actually followed their motto of avoiding boat rides. The extra effort and time to put us on the fish was greatly appreciated. If you only have one day, these are the folks to go out with.
They also did a terrific job of showing us the ropes of saltwater fishing. It was obvious that Doug and Kai not only enjoyed fishing but also enjoyed teaching other fisherman their skills. Their efforts to point out the sealife also made the trip extra enjoyable. Gray whales, pilot whales, porpoise, flying fish, a manta ray, and the lifetime thrill of having a tweny foot whale shark bask at boatside for fifteen minutes are just not the kind of things folks from the Midwest get to see. All in all, one memorable day. I have your website bookmarked and the business card for the Hinatea is in my rolodex."
From Carol and David who chartered Hinatea.
David and I would like to thank you and Jay for a wonderful afternoon. Seeing the whales and catching two fish was beyond my expectation, it was incredible and that was mostly due to the two of you! Please pass this onto Jay as well! If we should know anyone heading down here, we will be sure to recommend them to you!
Thanks again for a great day!
I am dredding headingback home to -12C.
For further information or to make reservations please call toll free 877-388-1376 or email kathy@sportfishhawaii.com.