Paddling On A Piece Of Art
Feburary 2026 we sent Jason down to the Miami International Boat show to scope out the scene and show off some of our creations. During this time, Jason met Arnie Hammerman of Best4Boats – Informed and Afloat, who wrote this lovely piece about discovering us!
Little Bay Boards, Paddling On A Piece of Art
by Arnie Hammerman March 24, 2026
While wandering through the gear and equipment room at the Miami International Boat Show, I was amazed to see some absolutely stunning paddleboards that appeared to be made of wood. Jason Thelen, the founder and master board builder of Little Bay Boards, saw me gawking at his magnificent work and quickly came over to talk. A master carpenter, he started the company by accident after he built a wooden paddleboard for his daughter Shawni as an eco-friendly alternative to the plastic, foam and inflatable boards everyone else was using. That first board impressed so many people that Thelen started building boards on request. Soon he launched Little Bay Boards to meet the growing demand and now he builds both stock and custom boards.
