Kaholo Paddleboard Build
Natalie expressed interest in doing more paddleboarding after trying it on a family vacation. Do you think my arm had to be twisted into building one? Nope. Chesapeake Light Craft makes a very nice kit that is relatively easy to assemble. I didn’t document the process terribly well, but the gallery below shows a few highlights.
The board is constructed from thin sheets of marine-grade plywood. The CLC kit makes assembly super simple.
![](https://wiscmapper.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/paddleboard-1-768x1024.jpg)
Getting all the sheets of plywood formed into shape takes a little bit of coaxing.
![](https://wiscmapper.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/paddleboard-2-768x1024.jpg)
Everything is held together with copper wires during the initial assembly.
![](https://wiscmapper.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/paddleboard-3-768x1024.jpg)
Things like to warp out of shape as you are working, so you have to make constant adjustments so that everything stays true.
![](https://wiscmapper.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/paddleboard-5-1024x768.jpg)
Everything is then tacked together with thin beads of epoxy, then the wires are removed.
![](https://wiscmapper.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/paddleboard-6-768x1024.jpg)
Ready for top deck.
![](https://wiscmapper.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/paddleboard-4-1024x768.jpg)
Most folks use a decorative fabric embedded in epoxy on their Kaholo’s. I did some experimentation with that, and predicted disaster… just too hard for me to get the fabric looking good. So I opted to stain the entire board with a dye-based stain.
![](https://wiscmapper.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/paddleboard-7-1024x768.jpg)
Next step is to drape fiberglass cloth on the board, and soak it with epoxy.
![](https://wiscmapper.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/paddleboard-8-1024x768.jpg)
Closer look at the first layer of fiberglass and epoxy.
![](https://wiscmapper.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/paddleboard-9-1024x768.jpg)
Then starts the process of layering on more coats of epoxy. I hard a particularly hard time with additional layers; the epoxy kept beading up like water on a waxed surface.
![](https://wiscmapper.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/paddleboard-10-1024x768.jpg)
Despite the epoxy problems, I soldiered on. After each coat, the board gets a thorough sanding.
![](https://wiscmapper.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/paddleboard-11-1024x768.jpg)
Epoxy is done, and starting to spray varnish.
![](https://wiscmapper.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/paddleboard-12-scaled.jpg)
After layers of epoxy, the board was sprayed with 4 layers of marine varnish for protection.
![](https://wiscmapper.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/paddleboard-14-scaled.jpg)
Deck pads and rigging added.
![](https://wiscmapper.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/paddleboard-16-scaled.jpg)
Don’t get it dirty!
![](https://wiscmapper.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/paddleboard-17-scaled.jpg)