Kaholo Stand-Up Paddleboard 12-6

Why are Stand-Up Paddleboards all the rage? Because they're ridiculously fun, like walking on water.  We made a lot of believers out of folks who have tried out our new Kaholo SUP kits at shows across the country.

It's taken five years and more prototypes than we care to count to refine the two Kaholo SUP boards. Working with surfing and paddleboard guru Larry Froley of Gray Whale Trading in California, we've created two beautiful hollow wooden boards with that rare quality of being fast enough to race but stable enough for first-timers.  Tracking is great and a fine bow with kayak-derived shaping lifts the Kaholo 12-6 and 14 up and over waves.  The tail shape and twin fins facilitate surfing on long swells once your skills build up to that.

With their uncanny speed, the Kaholo 12-6 and Kaholo 14 have found a following among racers.  The 14 is better for larger paddlers (or those who might carry along dogs or small kids).  The 12-6 is more compact, better for smaller-statured paddlers, and it fits in several increasingly popular racing classes.

There are no other SUP boards in the world that are easier for a first-time boatbuilder, or better-looking.  But you don't give up one bit of performance if you build your own Kaholo!

Kits include premium nonskid deck pads, cut to shape, breather tubes, and custom laminated skegs.  The comprehensive instruction manual suggests ways to customize your board with fabrics and other stylish tweaks, as seen in the photo gallery.

Designer John C. Harris counted himself among the skeptics before trying out his first SUP in California in 2006.  "It's the most amazing sensation---as close to walking on water as you're going to get.  But a little faster.  You achieve kayak-like speeds, but your visibility is vastly improved because your eyes are so much higher off the water.  You can see more, see further, and in clear water you have a much better view of sea life than you do in a kayak."

It's also a major workout---every muscle in your body is at work as you ride over waves and work the long-handled SUP paddle.  If taking a walk is healthy, taking a walk on water is healthy AND the view is better.  Harris says he can envision shifting one of his hobbies, which is wandering marinas on foot looking at boats, to wandering amongst the on a Kaholo.   

Construction is similar to the popular and highly refined San O' 14 and 16 paddleboards (which are too narrow for stand-up paddling).  The Kaholos are okoume marine plywood, stitched-and-glued together and sheathed in fiberglass and epoxy, with a grid of bulkheads and stiffeners inside to make the boards stiff and light.

Standard Kaholos -- both 12'6" and 14' -- are built entirely by stitch-and-glue methods. with the sides, bottom, and frame structure wired together before gluing.

 A hybrid version also is available, as seen below on this board built by Paul D. While the deck is strip-built, stitch-and-glue construction is used for the hull. 

Kaholo kits come standard with a pair of relatively shallow fins that are intended to be permanently fixed on the underside of the board for tracking in all conditions. Some builders may prefer to use a single, deeper fin for performance, speed, and versatility. This is where the optional Fin Box Kit comes in. This modification should be performed as part of the building process; retrofitting is not recommended.

The Fin Box option allows for the removal and exchange of the fin itself, whether to make storage easier or for optimizing performance by selecting a different fin for different conditions. For example, some paddlers prefer to use a smaller fin for racing and a larger one in heavier chop.