The line of Kaholo stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) from Chesapeake Light Craft merge a trendy new sport with the world of build-it-yourself wooden boats. These kits are thoughtfully developed, and they yield a state-of-the-art wooden SUP. For those wishing to scratch-build, plans consisting of instructions and full-sized patterns are available as well.In just a few years, the CLC boards have already evolved through several generations, refining their dimensions, strength, and ease of construction. The hulls are beamy and stable, with a flat run aft, reverse transoms, and a very pronounced V forward. The boards have an actual boaty-looking, wave-cutting bow. Two models are offered, at 12' 6" and 14', to accommodate smaller and larger paddlers, respectively. The newer 12' 6" model was also developed to conform to class-racing rules.As we all know, two boats in sight of each other automatically means a race, and SUPs are no exception. Classes and events have developed, as have different SUP tribes. The various denominations include surfing, open-water races, flat-water racing, whitewater paddling, and touring. There’s great potential for paddle-board expeditions, too: Two evidently unemployed 20-somethings paddled the East Coast from Key West to Portland, Maine, last year. Less ambitiously, I have added picnics and evening cocktail cruises to the list of SUP pursuits, deftly strapping a cooler to the aft deck.

Read this article now for Free!

Enter your email address to finish reading this article now.

— OR —

Subscribe now for $29.99 a year! You'll have access to our new issues as they are published, and access to our entire archive of back issues, starting with our inaugural issue in September 2014. Subscribers can also post unlimited classified ads. This is an extraordinary value!

Subscribe Now or SIGN IN