Barefoot on the Boards

Little Bay Boards marks 12 years, 500 SUPs, and a new chapter (hint: surfing!)

By Molly Cox | June 28, 2025

Jason Thelen only set out to build one paddleboard in 2012. His daughter Shawni wanted one, so he decided to build a paddleboard for her out of the natural material he knew best: wood.

Thelen was a master carpenter, building homes with his father-in-law in Petoskey. While doing research on how to make that first paddle board, the only wooden SUPs Thelen could find were bulky, made of plywood, and not very aesthetically pleasing. He reached out to Paul Jensen to get advice; Jensen pioneered modern day, hollow wooden surfboards, and he became Thelen’s mentor and friend.

Through trial and error, Thelen engineered a lightweight, functional board with an eye-catching design. So eye-catching, in fact, that Shawni’s board quickly drew attention from other paddlers.

“Anytime we took the board someplace, people wouldn’t shut up about it,” Thelen jokes. “Being a single-income family, we were always looking for ways to make Christmas money, so I decided to figure out a way to sell one. After that I just kept going, and I was never without somebody wanting a board.”

Little did he know that the journey of discovery to build his first paddle board would lead him to create his own business, Little Bay Boards.

Taking the Plunge

At first, Thelen was making one board to order every other month or so, but when a friend taught him how to make a Facebook page for Little Bay Boards, things took off. He moved his woodshop from his garage to a larger workshop on his parents’ property. Soon, Thelen was working about 110 hours per week, but although he was thrilled with the money he was making, family life began to suffer in his absence.

Eventually Thelen’s wife, Julie, staged an intervention of sorts. Thelen’s first instinct was to give up his creative passion in favor of the security of his homebuilding job, which he had been at for 22 years. “[Julie] said, ‘I can’t let you do that; if you don’t build the boards, you’re going to be a miserable person.’”

So, with the support of his family, Thelen was able to take a leap of faith and focus full time on building paddleboards. Since then, Little Bay Boards has continued to grow and thrive in northern Michigan and beyond. Thelen also started a program called Boards for Reasons, which provides local nonprofits with SUPs for raffles and fundraising events.

As the business grew, it moved up from the small workshop to a 2,000-square-foot space, then to a 10,000-square-foot showroom, gallery, and art and gift shop in Petoskey. In the intervening years, Thelen has grown his team, too. Now there are three employees in the Petoskey workshop, a sales rep in Hilton Head, and a sales rep who showcases the boards at various surfing events around the country.

Working with Wood

Thelen’s family has lived in the area for far longer than most; he is a direct descendant of Chief Petosegay, Petoskey’s namesake, and grew up learning about Odawa history and culture from his family members, some of whom still serve in leadership positions in the tribal government.

Thelen’s heritage informed his decision to build Shawni’s board from wood. Protecting the land and water while enjoying time in nature are some of Thelen’s core values. His products are made of natural materials, sourced exclusively from American companies.

Plus, according to Thelen, wooden SUPs or surfboards are stronger, more eco-friendly, and longer lasting than the foam or inflatable types, which are often made of plastic or plastic by-products. The polyurethane-based resin used on foam boards means they can only last about 7-10 years because poly resin breaks down in the sun. Meanwhile, Little Bay’s boards are guaranteed to last a lifetime, as they use an acrylic resin which doesn’t break down or contain harmful VOCs.

The structure of wood boards is stronger as well because of the wood itself, but also because of the meticulously engineered frame design. And bonus: The boards are naturally non-slip despite not having the squishy foam pads common on foam and inflatable SUPs (iSUPs).

Thelen says the hollow nature of the wood board makes it easier to feel the energy of the water beneath your feet. “I encourage everyone to go barefoot on the boards,” he tells us. “Not to get all hippied out on you, but grounding and experiencing the energies the Earth offers—you get that through a wood board out on the water.”

Combining Art and Function

In addition to the engineering that goes into creating a light, strong, long-lasting wooden SUP, each one is a work of art.

About 75 percent of Thelen’s business is custom boards, and customers work with Thelen directly to turn their ideas into an executable concept. One innovation in design is a translucent centers inspired by epoxy resin river tables, which Thelen says took three years to perfect. The changing seasons and constant proximity to water in northern Michigan also inspires Thelen and fuels his creativity. The boards are “creations that you honestly cannot find being done by anyone else anywhere in the world,” he says.

Along with custom designs, Little Bay has a collection of recurring designs like the Rivers, Mermaid, Aztec, and Shipwreck (this writer's favorite!). They also have Michigan-inspired design themes such as the Petoskey Stone, Lake Michigan and Superior Coastals, Turtle, and the Classic Local Girl “Mary Jane” that’s built from locally grown White Cedar with subtle highlights of Pacific Red Cedar.

The hand-crafted “rideable art” pieces come in a scalable price range between $2,500-$6,200, depending on the wood selections and amount of work and time involved in creating it. While pricey compared to a $550 starter iRocker, it isn’t too far off the popular BOTE boards. The quality of the boards more than justifies the cost, according to Thelen.

While iSUPs can pop and foam boards can crack, Thelen says his wood boards are hard to damage, and any damage that does occur is easier to repair than with synthetic boards. In fact, if you bring your Little Bay board in for a refresh, the company will buff out any scuffs or scratches that occur through natural wear and tear. They can also perform any major repairs that occur from unnatural wear.

“The nice thing about wood is that it’s always fixable, even if something major happens like the board flies off your car and gets hit by another car, or your crazy ex throws it down the stairs. There might be a little scar tissue, but it will still be a good board and last forever,” Thelen says.

What’s Next?

After making around 500 hollow wood SUPs for his customers over the last 12 years, Thelen feels like he has perfected their design as much as he can. Now he wants to expand the business into the surfing market, so he recently acquired the rights to use the surfboard shapes created by his mentor, Jensen.

Thelen plans to take Jensen’s designs and re-engineer them using his own methods to build the next generation of hollow wooden surfboards. “I have like 42 different styles of surfboards I could be building, but I haven’t had the time yet to sit down and go through them all. I’m hoping to do that by the end of summer.”

Little Bay is now also making wakeboards, wall art, and even tables if a customer requests it. “I’ve never turned down a job,” Thelen says.

Thelen’s main goal for his business is to ensure steady, long-term growth for a secure financial future for his family and his staff. Along the way, he hopes to build his brand recognition in the SUP and surf industries.

“I guess my one big wish is to be recognized as one of the best paddle board makers out there. Hopefully our product will speak for itself as the years go on and we get more out there all across America and across the world.”

Find Your Board

You can meet the people and paddle boards of Little Bay Boards at upcoming art shows near Petoskey and Harbor Springs this summer: July 16 at the Woman’s Club/Harbor Springs Chamber Art Show at Nubs Nob; July 19 at the Art in the Park Petoskey Chamber at Pennsylvania Park; and July 26-27 at the Bay Harbor Fine Art Show.

Little Bay Boards are also featured in the Crooked Tree Arts Center’s “Immersed” exhibition through Aug. 31, and the South Haven Center of the Arts “SWELL: Big Water, Waves & Their Riders” exhibition through July 31.

Visit the Little Bay Boards showroom at 355 N. Division Rd in Petoskey, or, if you are ready to start the process of creating your very own custom board, you can book a design consultation at littlebayboards.com.

Photo courtesy of Little Bay Boards / Aaron Pegg / 45thlife.com