KU KIA - Slammed by forces reaching thousands of pounds per square inch, the Ku Kia absorbs the strains and compression load exerted by the mast and sail when the canoe is moving forward in her sail path. When one sails on a voyaging canoe, one of the things that instantly grabs your attention is the sound that a voyaging canoe makes, as she compensates by distributing the stresses and strains of tension throughout her body, sailing proudly across the sea.