What We Stand For
Built With Intention
A Jarvis board is not designed to be replaced.
It’s designed to be lived with — on the water, in your home, and across years of use. Wood is hand-selected. Composites are layered with purpose. Components are chosen to perform and endure. Finishes are applied for durability first, so the board can age gracefully rather than wear out.
Over time, the board becomes part of your routine and your story. That’s the difference between something made quickly, and something made well.
Rooted in Craft, Not Uniformity
Our work is informed by the long lineage of surfcraft and watercraft makers who understood that performance and beauty are not opposing forces. Proven shapes. Disciplined construction. Materials chosen because they’ve earned their place — not because they’re convenient or inexpensive.
Every Jarvis board reflects a belief that individuality, restraint, and craft matter more than scale. Not every board should look the same. Not every rider is.
Made to Be Lived With
A Jarvis board is not designed to be replaced.
It’s designed to be lived with — on the water, in your home, and across years of use. Wood is hand-selected. Composites are layered with purpose. Components are chosen to perform and endure. Finishes are applied for durability first, so the board can age gracefully rather than wear out.
Over time, the board becomes part of your routine and your story. That’s the difference between something made quickly, and something made well.
2015-2019
The Austin Years
Jarvis Boards began in a small garage workshop in Austin, Texas, with a simple belief: paddle boards didn’t have to be disposable or mass-produced overseas. They could be functional objects of craft — made from real wood, shaped and finished by hand, and built to last.
Hundreds of custom boards were built and shipped around the world, each one made in-house for paddlers who wanted something different.
2019
The DIY Chapter
In 2019, Jarvis introduced hollow-core Frame Kits and board-building plans — opening the door for woodworkers, shop teachers, parents, and first-time builders to create their own boards using a hobbyist friendly construction process.
Over a thousand people have since built a Jarvis board themselves, forming a community that carried the brand forward through its most uncertain years.
2022
Pause & Reflect
By 2022, in-house production had stopped. The studio closed. Staff moved on. Burnout set in.
Jarvis Boards wasn’t officially gone — but it wasn’t moving forward either. It was a brand on pause: still viable, still loved, but uncertain about its future.
2023
The Hand-off
I wasn’t looking to takeover a paddle board company.
I had left my desk job and was building custom hardwood furniture in my studio — learning, experimenting, working with my hands again. When I came across Jarvis Boards for sale, something clicked.
It felt like the intersection of everything I cared about: craftsmanship, being on the water, and building something that stood for more than speed or scale.
2024
Rebuilding, Slowly
The first focus was supporting the DIY community — improving instructions, packaging, and launching a step-by-step video series to help first-time builders succeed.
At the same time, I asked a simple question: if we brought back production boards — built in the U.S., with refined construction and premium materials — would people want them?
The response was immediate. A waitlist filled within weeks.
2025
Jarvis Boards, Reintroduced
Production returned — this time in Chicago.
We rebuilt the brand deliberately: refining construction methods, expanding veneer options, and designing boards one at a time.
The Statesider launched as our flagship — marking a clear return to small-batch, USA made craft.
Jarvis Boards was back — on purpose.
Jarvis Mission:
To build the best boards on and for the planet
Message from the Owner:
In the world of paddle boards, a disappointing trend has festered: sterile uniformity. Mass-produced, imported boards lack soul and character, offering lifeless, cookie-cutter designs and cheap materials that quickly end up in landfills.
At Jarvis Boards, we are on a mission to combat this. Whether building your own using our DIY kits, or ordering a custom, we strive to create the best boards on and for the planet.
Our custom boards are made to stand the test of time, leveraging skilled craftsmanship and modern USA manufacturing. Every board is as unique as its rider, as it should be.
- Eric Roberts