Little Bay Boards is excited to share that we've been featured in GMC's November 2024 issue of Boundless Magazine, highlighting the incredible Sierra EV Denali. This remarkable truck combines the rugged capability of a traditional pickup with cutting-edge technology...
Hype
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 attraction campaign and brand to show what makes living and working in Northern Lower Michigan special. The team’s goal is to target...
Unlock Your Creative Potential with Little Bay Boards and Trotec Laser
Unlock the endless possibilities of a laser cutter. From creating intricate designs on wood, acrylic, and metal to crafting personalized gifts and home decor, the Trotec Laser empowers you to unleash your creativity. Transform ordinary objects into extraordinary masterpieces with ease and precision. Discover the joy of bringing your imagination to life and join the laser cutting revolution. Little Bay Boards – where innovation meets craftsmanship.
Grand Opening – Recap
On May 19th, 2023 Little Bay Boards finally hosted the much anticipated Grand Opening of their new Showroom at 355 N. Division Rd in Petoskey Michigan. The floor was swept and paddle boards were hung on the wall like fine art. The ribbon was cut, a raffle ticket was...
Paddling the Blue Podcast
Paddle Board builder Jason Thelen gets interviewed on Paddling The Blue Podcast Episode #84 – Canoecopia 2023 – Madison, WI
Quiet Adventures Symposium 2023
Little Bay Boards adventures to Lansing to showcase at the Quiet Adventures Symposium
Midwest Paddle League 2022 End of Season Wrap
Midwest Paddle League provides fun races for paddlers throughout the midwest.
River’s Edge Brewing
Milford, MICHIGAN
Quiet Water Society – Wood Paddle Board
Weight: 23 lbs
Dimensions: 111″ x 28″ x 5″
Paddle Length: 5′ 10″
Floats riders up to 140 lbs
Culver Academies – Wood Paddle Board
Weight: 31 lbs
Dimensions: 123.5x 31x 5
Paddle Length: 6′ 4.5″
Ales for Tails 2022 for Harbor Humane Society in West Olive Michigan
Harbor Humane Society hosts their annual Ales for Tails fundraiser. Little Bay Boards built a custom board with 22 different dog profiles inlayed with colored epoxy to donate as a raffle item.
Little Bay Boards makes a splash in Michigan and beyond
“I was told it was impossible to have a surfboard company in northern Michigan,” Thelen said. “And that’s all the motivation I needed to do it.”
The Outdoor Recreation Industry: More Than the Last Dollar
Jason Thelen, founder of Little Bay Boards, can’t imagine making his eco-friendly, hollow-wood standup paddle boards anywhere else, first and foremost because Petoskey is his home.
Now Available at Boyne Country Sports – Wooden Paddleboards!
We are super stoked that Little Bay Boards wooden stand up paddleboards are now available at Boyne Country Sports locations in Traverse City, Grand Rapids, and Bloomfield Hills Michigan!
Hockey Night Fundraiser 2022 with The Detroit Red Wing Alumni Association
Vladimir Konstantinov from the Detroit Red Wing Alumni Association drops the ceremonial puck for Hockey Night 2022, helping raise funds to make the world a better place.
Three Takeaways: Little Bay Boards
Thanks to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation for putting this awesome video and article together for us! Three Takeaways: Little Bay Boards Courtney Overbey | Friday, December 3, 2021 Petoskey craftsman Jason Thelen of Little Bay Boards shares his “bottom...
Voices Without Borders 2022 Fundraiser
Little Bay Boards in Petoskey Michigan donates another stand up paddle board to help raise funds for Voices Without Borders.
Petoskey Northmen Hockey Paddle Board Raffle Winner Announced
The raffle for the paddleboard donated by Little Bay Boards, built by the Petoskey Northmen Hockey team was held last week and the winner was drawn. This beautiful board will be headed to Mt Pleasant MI!
Michigan Economic Development – Success Stories
Thanks to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation for putting this awesome video and article together for us! Little Bay Boards Petoskey-Based Entrepreneur Showcases Michigan’s Unequaled Economy and Quality of Living Jason Thelen knows the value of his home,...
Wave On Podcast – sharing inspiration on paddle boarding, surfing, and entrepreneurship
We are honored that Misty Marcum, fellow Michigander and Entrepreneur, invited Jason to join her for an interview on the podcast "Wave On." Beyond podcasting, Misty is owner of Luna Moon SUP Yoga in Sylvan Lake, MI and loves teaching balance board yoga, slow burn and...
Stateside Interview, Michigan NPR: Floating works of art: the hobby to profession journey of a Petoskey-based custom paddleboard maker
Little Bay Boards, a custom stand up paddleboard shop in Petoskey, is known for their beautiful, locally-grown wooden boards. Jason Thelen, the company’s founder and owner, shared what it took to grow the business from a solo project in his parents’ garage to the...
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.
Crain’s Detroit: Catch a wave
Lake Affect is a shop in downtown Petoskey. It carries clothes and home decor, but its focus is on creations by local artists. It might seem like an unlikely retailer for stand-up paddleboards. Until you've seen the boards made by Jason Thelen, the Native American...
Destination Michigan, Petoskey: Little Bay Boards
Jason Thelen, founder of Little Bay Boards, can’t imagine making his eco-friendly, hollow-wood standup paddle boards anywhere else, first and foremost because Petoskey is his home.
Harbor Light – Paddle board builder to be featured artist for Save the Trees fundraiser
By Harbor Light News Staff | on July 18, 2018 Jason Thelen of Boards for Reasons/Little Bay Boards will be the featured artist for 29th annual Save the Trees Fundraiser July 26. (Courtesy photo)When agreeing to build a custom hollow wood paddleboard for the Little...
Artist Profile: Jason Thelen
Written by Sean Miller/ Full article at originally published by News-ReviewWhat started as a project to make an affordable paddle board has turned into a budding business for Jason Thelen of Little Bay Boards. “It really all started because I couldn’t afford to buy a...
Artistic, Eco-Friendly Paddle Boards in Petoskey
Thanks to 9&10 News for this great Video!"It was a crystal, flat day on Lake Michigan that sparked Jason Thelen’s hands and heart. Now captive by his experience, The Petoskey resident works to create functional, wooden pieces of art so others can feel the same...
The Detroit News – Little Bay Boards built in Petoskey
This is great. We are so lucky to have Taylor “Jetson” on our team. Thanks for the shout out John Russell at The Detroit New!See all the awesome photos they featured on DetroitNews.com to help tell our story!
Mlive – Remarkable wooden paddleboards are Michigan made, with a mission
Emily Bingham put together this wonderful spread for us on MLive.com … Thanks Emily!Jason Thelen's paddleboards are like floating works of art: long, wide planks of hand-milled wood the color of honey, caramel and brown sugar, kept simple with clean lines or adorned...
Michigan Country Lines – Petoskey Stands Up for Little Bay Boards
This month we had the honor of being featured on the front cover of Great Lakes Energy Co-op’s Michigan Country Lines publication…If it takes a village to raise a child, then it most certainly takes one to raise a brainchild. Little Bay Boards, the brainchild of Jason...
Paddleboards built from passion: Little Bay Boards ~ Standup Journal
Evelyn O’Doherty from Standup Journal put this article together about Jason at Little Bay Boards… “It hasn’t always been rainbows and butterflies. But then, nothing worth chasing ever is.” These are words spoken by Little Bay Boards owner/artist & board builder,...
Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine – Savant of SUP Soul: Meet Jason Thelen of Little Bay Boards
Kate Bassett wrote this great article about us for Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine and MyNorth.comTo Jason Thelen, owner of Little Bay Boards, a paddleboard is not just a paddleboard, it’s a connection to things big and small and channels the life force of the...
Michigan BLUE – Michigan’s Waterfront Lifestyle Magazine – Nature reclaimed
Summer 2017 PromoteMichigan.com put together a nice story for us.JUST LIKE HIS CUSTOMERS, Jason Thelen’s hand-built paddleboards are one-of-a-kind. And Thelen, a direct descendant (great, great, great grandson) of Chief Petoskey — the 19th-century French-Ottawa...
A daughter’s wish leads to a booming business and new career for local father
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.
The Bulletproof Businessman Series: Hot Seat with Jason Thelen of Little Bay Boards
View Original article at JamesPFriel.com By James August 14, 2016 The Bulletproof Businessman Series We would all love as business owners a level of predictability, to understand where our next customer is going to come from. The best way to do this is to understand...
MTM On The Road: Little Bay Boards in Petoskey
At Little Bay Boards they pose an honest question: Life comes in waves, why not ride them? The Petoskey-based business specializes in all-natural wooden stand-up paddle boards. Each vessel is hand crafted with the user in mind, including their size, what the board’s...
Northern Express – Art to be ‘used and abused’
Growing up in Petoskey, Jason Thelen dreamed of being a surfer and riding the big saltwater waves. But fate kept him near fresh water, so he adapted accordingly and began building custom standup paddleboards that "take the big lake’s little waves," he said. "My paddle...