Eco-Friendly Elegance with Little Bay Boards
Custom Built and In Stock – Ready to Ride
Wood Stand Up Paddle Boards, Surfboards, Lake Inspired Art, Gifts and more!
Combining Eco-Friendly Elegance with Unmatched Craftsmanship
Visit our Workshop and Showroom at 355 N. Division Rd, Petoskey, Michigan
WHY RIDE A REAL WOOD STAND UP PADDLE BOARD?
Feel the resonance
Experience a deeper connection with the waters you ride
Eco-Friendly
Handcrafted
Natural Beauty
Made in the USA
Built with Sustainably Forested Lumber
IN THE BEGINNING
In 1873, the people living along Little Traverse Bay named their settlement “Petoskey,” in honor of Chief Petosegay. Chief Petosegay was born on the banks of the Kalamazoo River, moved north, and was raised near the shores of the Little Traverse Bay near what is now Harbor Springs, Michigan.
139 years later, Chief Petosegay’s great-great-great-great granddaughter, Shawni, wanted to explore the waterways of northern Michigan.
She asked her father for a Standup Paddle Board, but not just any paddle board made of toxic foam or plastic, she wanted the best paddle board.
With an instinct for earth care, Shawni wanted a stand up paddle board made out of natural materials.
As a master carpenter, Shawni’s father, Jason Thelen, knew he could build her one of the best paddle boards out of wood, to give her an eco-friendly alternative to the plastic and foam boards that currently dominate the stand up paddle board marketplace.
In the spring of 2012, Jason built the first Little Bay Board.
Shawni was now able to experience a deeper connection with nature as she explored the waterways of northern Michigan on her wooden Standup Paddleboard, custom-built by her father.
Soon after, Jason began having a deeper connection with the folks in the beach parking lots, asking him where they got “that beautiful paddle board?!”
By the summer of 2012, Little Bay Boards was born and Jason began building paddle boards for other people who wanted to experience the best standup paddle boards nature can offer.
The Details | FAQ
The Details - About Our Paddle Boards A better ride for a better planet, Eco-Friendly Wood Stand-Up Paddle BoardsEach and every Little Bay...
Product Review | Wood Paddle Board
Pro SUP Athlete Girard Middleton from Sobe Surf & Paddle gives his review on the look and feel of the ride on a Little Bay...
Our New Story | Scaling SUP
It's the same thing every morning. I walk in here and my mind is blown. I breathe in the air, the fresh smell of lumber. I look at...
Custom Paddle Board Gallery
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Wow. Just wow! I popped my new board in Burt Lake just hours after we picked it up. Even in the waves it was magic. I can honestly say that there is a real energy that is given off by that real wood. Like it is alive! I will treasure it forever.
I took my board for her maiden voyage yesterday in Little Traverse Bay. What a special ride it was. It’s true what Jason says, the wood is alive and standing on my Little Bay Boards was unlike any other paddle board. I can’t say enough about the craftmanship and artistry of Jason. Thank you very much.
Exploring the Waves with WETSU Life
Thank you to Jennifer Telek for including us in her latest adventure, “Water Toys for the Lake” where she reviews our paddle board on her popular blog, Wetsulife.com.
The Manna Food Project – Paddle Board Raffle
This spring we were asked if we’d like to make a paddle board donation to annual Golf Fore Manna fundraiser….
Choose the North
To address the talent challenges faced by many local businesses, the 2023 NLEA/DTE Energy Foundation Interns are launching a talent...
This board is my husband’s and he absolutely loves it! It is incredibly light at 28 lbs and maneuvers so easily. It doesn’t pitch or rock in waves as much as our older “traditional” board. We are extremely happy that we had this beauty crafted by Jason!
I couldn’t be happier with by board from Little Bay Boards! Its the perfect balance of form and function. Jason is brilliant with his work and his art is not only beautiful but provides the best ride I’ve ever had.
Building your own paddle board; Pros and Cons
By Jason Thelen of Little Bay Boards I’ve been building hollow wood boards for 12 years. Somewhere around 500 finely crafted wood paddle...
Bears and Bolts
Some Grateful Dead Standup Paddleboard art... Bear and Bolts Constructed in late summer 2020, these Grateful Dead inspired Stand Up Paddle...
Surprise Paddleboard Gift Giving
On November 6th we had the incredible opportunity to participate in a glorious act of gift giving. Check it out...
We met Jason Thelen today, the artist and builder of my beautiful board. A wonderful experience from start to finish. Though the final product was a surprise, Jason created exactly what I wanted. I immediately put it in the river upon returning home to Leland and was so delighted with the ride. Found my sweet spot for standing and she glided beautifully. The board is very stable and I loved the reverberation of the water through the wood. Jason’s thoughtfulness in construction is even evident in the paddle which is only a pound and is curved to reduce stress on the arms and back. Wow!! So happy!! And the board is only 28 lbs! Thank you Jason! JOY!!
I have had my board for two years now and love it more every time I go out. I have taken it on vacation in many states. Paddled the ocean and all Great Lakes. It still looks like new. Everywhere I go I get compliments and questions. All of Jason designs are unique and I was thrilled to be able to have input into the design. He is an amazing craftsman, designer and all round great guy. I plan to have my board till I can’t stand on it any longer. It is my greatest stress reliever and adventure taker ever. Thanks Jason!
I am so in love with my new board. I got everything I had asked for custom plus more. Thank you so much!
We don’t remember days but we do remember moments, capture it.
Morning paddle on Lac La Belle, Michigan
#morningpaddle
#morningpaddle #sup #midnightpaddle #philosophy #laclabelle #mindfulness #keweenaw #keweenawpeninsula #puremichigan #upperpeninsulamichigan #upperpeninsula #yespuremichigan #standuppaddleboarding #suplife #standuppaddle #upperpeninsula #leavenotrace #upperpeninsulamichigan #lakesuperior #betegrise #mountbohemia #onthewater #standuppaddlemagazine #bestofgreatlakestate #yesbusa #yes_busa
Morning paddle on Lac La Belle, Michigan
#morningpaddle
#morningpaddle #sup #midnightpaddle #philosophy #laclabelle #mindfulness #keweenaw #keweenawpeninsula #puremichigan #upperpeninsulamichigan #upperpeninsula #yespuremichigan #standuppaddleboarding #suplife #standuppaddle #upperpeninsula #leavenotrace #upperpeninsulamichigan #lakesuperior #betegrise #mountbohemia #onthewater #standuppaddlemagazine #bestofgreatlakestate #yesbusa #yes_busa
What fun to create something out of nothing.
The fun I can have when building something so beautiful and unique. #woodworking #woodlovers #wood #wallart #walldecor #sup
The fun I can have when building something so beautiful and unique. #woodworking #woodlovers #wood #wallart #walldecor #sup
Hahaha I made that. 😱
You guys! Omg—I felt like I was shooting a movie when I photographed Keely + Connor at sunset at the beach with the vintage truck and these incredibly gorgeous stand up paddle boards from Little Bay Boards!!
I was super excited when Keely asked me if I would do a session with her and her longtime boyfriend Connor before they went back to college, and since I had taken her senior pictures a couple of years ago, I jumped at the chance to photograph the two of them together! She told me he loves vintage trucks, so I immediately began planning their shoot in my mind and prayed it would work out with my schedule and the weather.
I mean, we could not have gotten a better sunset that night and they both looked absolutely AMAZING together and so in love!! 🥹 I’m seriously OBSESSED with all of these images and couldn’t even figure out which ones to post first!
Thank you so much for asking me to do this shoot, Keely—it literally exceeded all of my expectations, and thank you so so much to Jason from littlebayboards for letting us use your truck and SUP boards that are literal works of art for this session! 🧡 Stay tuned for more!
p.s. Keely told me this is Connor’s fav song 🫶
You guys! Omg—I felt like I was shooting a movie when I photographed Keely + Connor at sunset at the beach with the vintage truck and these incredibly gorgeous stand up paddle boards from Little Bay Boards!!
I was super excited when Keely asked me if I would do a session with her and her longtime boyfriend Connor before they went back to college, and since I had taken her senior pictures a couple of years ago, I jumped at the chance to photograph the two of them together! She told me he loves vintage trucks, so I immediately began planning their shoot in my mind and prayed it would work out with my schedule and the weather.
I mean, we could not have gotten a better sunset that night and they both looked absolutely AMAZING together and so in love!! 🥹 I’m seriously OBSESSED with all of these images and couldn’t even figure out which ones to post first!
Thank you so much for asking me to do this shoot, Keely—it literally exceeded all of my expectations, and thank you so so much to Jason from littlebayboards for letting us use your truck and SUP boards that are literal works of art for this session! 🧡 Stay tuned for more!
p.s. Keely told me this is Connor’s fav song 🫶
Trying to get as many days like today out of this summer. Gorgeous sunny day on such a warm lake. #watersports #lifeatthelake #sup #woodworker
Trying to get as many days like today out of this summer. Gorgeous sunny day on such a warm lake. #watersports #lifeatthelake #sup #woodworker
Long live Summer #45thparallel 45thlife
Striving to find more days as peaceful as this.
Got to go enjoy the beautiful summer day here in Petoskey. #woodworker #epoxywood #sup #puremichigan
Got to go enjoy the beautiful summer day here in Petoskey. #woodworker #epoxywood #sup #puremichigan
Awesome adventure out on this beautiful foggy morning. Had to see what the good ole hodgepodge looked like on the water. What gorgeous calm day to be out on Lake Michigan. #sup #waterlife #epoxywoodworking #woodlovers #woodworker #wakesurfing
Awesome adventure out on this beautiful foggy morning. Had to see what the good ole hodgepodge looked like on the water. What gorgeous calm day to be out on Lake Michigan. #sup #waterlife #epoxywoodworking #woodlovers #woodworker #wakesurfing
“The man who has experienced shipwreck shudders even at a calm sea.”-Ovid
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