Variety may be the spice of life, but when it comes to paddling, the spice is in the variety.

It’s the essence of what the Kanaka Ikaika Racing Association is and is becoming. A dash of this, a splash of that, with events designed to keep competitors challenged and interested from Saturday’s opener through the May 18 Molokai-to-Oahu World Solo Championship.

Kanaka Ikaika has always prided itself on being an organization "for paddlers, by paddlers" since its founding in 1976. Few believe in that more than Jim Foti, whose personal outrigger canoe racing career began at age 9 with Lanikai Canoe Club, a year prior to the establishment of the association of which he is now the director.

In his second year of running Kanaka Ikaika, Foti’s goals are to "keep the sport of paddling alive, keep it fresh and help it grow," he said. "It’s about giving back to the sport that’s given me and my family so much."

Kanaka Ikaika — which began as a surfski racing association nearly four decades ago — now mirrors that of the expansion of paddle sports. KIRA’s divisions include stand-up paddleboards (SUP), the V-1 Tahitian solo canoe and four outrigger canoe sizes (solo, double, triple and the traditional six).

It’s a little something for everyone, which also is part of the inspiration of the Maui Jim Waterman’s Series. Paddlers compete in four disciplines — SUP, prone paddleboard, solo surfski and solo outrigger (OC-1) — in designated races, accumulating points to determine the best overall waterman and waterwoman.

"You may be a good outrigger paddler, but what else can you do?" asks Foti. "So you’re a good paddleboarder, let’s see what you’ve got in an outrigger. And we see who can do it all.

"We had good participation last year (the inaugural competition) and we’ve had a lot of people asking about it for this year. Pat Dolan won it last year but is now living on the mainland. We don’t know if he’ll be back and that means it could be even more wide open."

Besides bragging rights, there is monetary incentive. The series purse is $7,000 — equal money for men and women — with the top three men and women in each of the Waterman races earning money.

There’s also a bonus for the first paddler to arrive at a designated "hot spot" during the course of each Waterman race. Overall age-group winners also share in the prize money.

New this year is Scott Hawaii’s Gold Challenge, a series for OC-1s using the long course of three designated races. The overall winner receives a $50 gold American Eagle coin (the current market value of one ounce being $1,200) with a $25 coin for second and $10 for third.

Returning to the racing calendar is a Sunset Beach-to-Haleiwa race (conditions permitting). Also back under the KIRA aegis is the Molokai World Championship, which had been run by another entity the past five years.

As with other organizations, sponsorships are as key as they are challenging to obtain.

"We’re still looking for a main sponsor for the Molokai race," Foti said. "It’s a first-class international race and we would like to offer real prize money that is fitting for a first-class race. Logistically, we’re looking at between $20,000 and $30,000.

"We’re happy with the direction we’re taking, but at the end of the day, the question is always, "Did we get everything paid for?’ "

The labor of love comes at below minimum wage. Kanaka Ikaika is in the process of becoming a a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization, one of the many jobs that Foti’s wife, Joey, has with the many businesses she and the Foti family run.

"My main job is to keep him organized," she said of her husband. "This year, (Kanaka Ikaika) is a little easier, understanding what we need to do. But it’s still a lot of work.

"Having this warehouse makes it a lot easier. It’s a convenient five-minute drive from home. It’s more visible (than the former space in Honolulu) and it’s nice to have all the businesses under one roof."

Among the many business ventures at the Kapaa Quarry warehouse is a home for Kanaka Ikaika, where paddlers can register for races. There’s also a wide range of basic paddling accessories for purchase: from paddles, paddleboards and canoes to sunscreen, hats and water apparel.

"We’ve been fortunate to have some new sponsors come on board, like Cerveza Pacifico," Jim Foti said. "And people like Steve Scott of Scott Hawaii, who’s been around the sport as a paddler and a coach, and is a good person to throw ideas off of.

"We’re not in this for the money although we’d like for it to pay its own way at some point. Growing up paddling, I was always thinking about races I’d like to see happen and how I’d like things to be run. There’s challenges but that’s part of the direction. You can’t keep doing the same downwind run."