The Coolest Paddle Board On The Planet

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So cool!

OK, great, now I need to add a paddle board to my bucket list of boats. Dam you Kevin Fitzke!  Fellow Woody Boater Kevin sent this in yesterday regarding a first Last Gasp. WOW! As Kevin put it,  “my “Last Gasp” but also my “First Inhale” for a better lack of analogy as I just finished design/building my wood paddle board prototype and had my first water test yesterday.

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It was in the mid 50’s here in Minneapolis Minnesota but it didn’t stop me from testing this thing out. It worked awesome and is really fast in the water! I’m going to change a couple things both from a construction and cosmetic standpoint for my real boards but I’m excited to start building them this winter.

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Work underway

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Kevin is a  member of the Bob Speltz Land-O-Lakes Chapter.

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I love love love the use of the bold graphics on the bow! I wonder if its race inspired or even cooler old battle ship Camouflage, Either way, its a perfect addition to the design! Way to go Kevin. BTW, no website yet for these, but once it happens, we will let you know!

 

/9 Comments/by
9 replies
  1. Bob Kays
    Bob Kays says:

    Paddle boarding is fun and good exercise. This paddle board brings it to a new level and I could wear my Woody Boater hat! Nice work!

  3. Garry
    Garry says:

    It is very cool.
    How about some dimensions and thoughts about the design and construction.
    Was the paddle also your design and build?

  4. kim jensen
    kim jensen says:

    Your work never ceases to amaze me Kevin! I’ve seen some custom board builders use a more surf board design, this looks like it would easier to steer.

  5. Eric
    Eric says:

    Needle nose is the way to go. Cuts through the wake with ease here on the bay.

    I’ll need a dual cockpit model to seat my copilot!

    Looks great!

  7. Kevin Fitzke
    Kevin Fitzke says:

    Thanks for the comments, I appreciate it! The paddle is not my design. It’s a Rave Sport Glide Polycarbon fiber paddle.

    Displacement hulls, like this one and other flat water race/touring boards, don’t turn very well. The are designed to glide for long distances per paddle stroke, in as straight of a line as possible. The trick to turn them quickly, like for a buoy turn, is to walk aft on the board, raising the bow and then use a sweep style paddle stroke. This takes some practice to do thus why you wear swim trunks 🙂
    Otherwise it will turn eventually, just not as quickly as a “surfboard” style paddle board.

    Here are the specs on the prototype board:

    LOA: 12’6″
    BOA: 26″
    BWL: 22.75″
    Weight: 36.8 lbs (without fin)
    Okoume ply, West Systems Epoxy, SeaDek, Captains Varnish, Sandusky Filler Stain, Old Salem copper bronze bottom paint, One Shot Lettering Enamel for checkered graphics.

    Changes for next/future boards:

    Increase BWL as current width is borderline too tipsy
    Reduce the freeboard a bit
    Reduce the standing deck above waterline a bit
    Simplify the gunwale construction
    Add fixed carrying handles to gunwales
    Add 3/4 length SeaDek traction pad for proper turning techniques.

    My goal is to have a stable board but very quick for the advance beginner/intermediate rider. A small storage place to hide water, extra clothes, food etc.

    I drew this board up in AutoCAD so it will be very easy to make adjustments. I use a laser cutter to make frame templates to then cut final parts by hand. All decking and planking components are cut by hand.

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