The Hype

Not so little anymore: Little Bay Boards relocates, expands
Petoskey’s own Little Bay Boards recently upgraded its workspace following a move into the old Kilwins candy factory, allowing the paddle board manufacturer to produce even more boards.

Boards for Reasons, Giving Back: Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan
Little Bay Boards donation supports Women’s Resource Center of Northern MichiganLittle Bay Boards creates timeless, handcrafted paddle boards using the finest, hand-picked materials. Owner, Jason Thelen’s artistry has gained notoriety and customers worldwide, yet his...

Next up – Country Music Star Kenny Chesney
"These boards are unique because they are completely custom and hollow," Davis said. "We do not use any foam on the insides of the board."Next up – Country music star Kenny Chesney and Trading Places star Ty Pennington. The two international celebrities are...

Michigan Home & Lifestyle
Thanks to Candie Conat for featuring us in Michigan Home & Lifestyle!WRITER | CANDIE CONATPHOTOS | LITTLE BAY BOARDS Jason Thelen, the owner of Little Bay Boards, had no idea that by building his daughter one wooden paddleboard, he would end up launching a...

Sterling Heights woodworking class making waves…
A couple years ago we “threw a rock” now we get to watch all the ripples! Sterling Heights woodworking class making waves with celebrities, breaking stereotypes “What does billionaire Sir Richard Branson, actor Amy Smart, and Spanx founder Sara Blakely have in common?...

Bay Harbor RESIDE Magazine: Building your dream, one board at a time
Little Bay Boards “Building your dream” …one board at a time.There is no better start of a story then one of a father fulfilling a request from his nine year old daughter who requested a paddleboard...but the request was she did not want one from a store, but...

Woodworkers make board for billionaire Branson
Henry Ford II High School woodworking teacher Christopher Davis and his students present the paddleboard they are making for billionaire Richard Branson.By: Eric Czarnik | Sterling Heights Sentry | Published November 15, 2019 Student Sydney Szymanski works on the...

Northern Express – LITTLE BAY BOARDS: WHO WANTS IN?
Thanks to Ross Boissoneau for this great write up on Little Bay Boards…What dad hasn’t wanted to do something special for his child? Jason Thelen loved being on his standup paddleboard, so when his nine-year-old daughter asked for one too, he was happy to oblige. One...

Henry Ford II woodworking program gets national recognition
Summer breaks have been kind to the Henry Ford II woodworking program. Last summer, Henry Ford II woodworking teacher Christopher Davis spent time at a Northern Michigan paddle board company and brought their unique process back to his students. This summer, the...

Junior Achievement launches entrepreneurship education program
The goal of the program is to get young local entrepreneurs into classrooms to share their experiences and career paths with students. Jason Thelen of Little Bay Boards, Katie Potts of Petoskey Cheese, Cheryl Tallman of Fresh Baby, Emerson Meyer of The Waffle Cabin and Herb Carlson of SCORE were the first entrepreneurs to address the students and answer their questions.
Board Stories
Wife gives husband surprise gift
These two wives and mothers wanted to show their appreciation for their wonderful husbands. They decided it would be fun to surprise the man in their life with a surprise paddleboard gift. Jason loves doing these surprise gift givings!Turns out these gifts provided...

The Swamp Board
Originally built to be Jason’s personal ride. Built in: 2016 Weight: 26 lbs Jason found this wood in 2014. He saved it for two years before finally finding enough time to build this perfect ride. However, life happens and when he was nearing completion he found out...