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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 23 J U N E 1 , 2 0 1 5 An old girlfriend had left behind a paddleboard and they started using it for fly fishing. at sparked the idea to build a board out of wood. "We just tried it and loved it. It was fall — a good time for a project. Once we started building boards, we got deep into the research and really got into it," says Schaefer. Tidal Roots combines three fast-growing aspects of board sports: standup paddleboarding, hand- crafted wooden construction and boards adapted to specific uses — in this case, fishing. In their first year, they built just a dozen boards, but they are a premium product, selling for $3,000 apiece. One of the Tidal Roots boards is currently on display in the boat-and-bike store at L.L.Bean in Freeport. is year, the partners expect to triple their output. ey are also developing an aluminum stand that can be adapted to a paddleboard to hold fishing rods and a Yeti cooler. Schaefer, 30, grew up in Annapolis, Md., went to the University of New Hampshire and spent five years in Steamboat Springs, Colo., working as a fly fishing guide and ski shop manager. In addi- tion to launching Tidal Roots, he handles mar- keting for a television show on fly fishing that is based out of West Virginia. Scovill, 28, is a native of Gilmanton, N.H. At the University of New Hampshire, he majored in psychology and has an advanced degree in marriage and family therapy. He's also a third-generation woodworker and balances his work with Tidal Roots with a business building kitchens. ey did not know each other at UNH. Four years ago, Schaefer's sister, Holly, was friends with Scovill and connected the two after Schaefer returned from Colorado. "She said, 'You gotta meet my brother when he comes back,'" Scovill says. "I'd been chasing fish and fun out West. Holly was basically like, 'I want to keep him here, so let's find some friends who fish.' " Schaefer says. "Kyle and I were fishing a ton and that basically led to the discussion of how we could build paddleboards." ree years ago, neither had any interest in the new paddleboard craze. In 2012, Schaefer was dating a woman who had an 11-foot standup paddleboard. ey tried it out as a way to catch fish. "You're up high, so you really get a good view of things," Schaefer says. ey were also inspired by a growing movement among surfboard shapers to use wood instead of the more common foam and fiberglass. It should be noted that Grain Surfboards, which has building handmade wooden surf- boards for nearly a decade, is based just six miles from Tidal Roots, in York. While Schaefer and Scovill say they admire Grain's work, they don't know the Grain crew that well and split off in another direction by producing paddleboards rather than surfboards. By Fall 2012, they thought it would be a "good winter project" to build a pair of paddleboards that could be used for fly fishing. "Our first board was built with leftover wood from a sauna," Scovill says. "We kind of discovered Grain deep into the process," said Schaefer. "Holy smokes, there's this wooden board builder right up the road." Rather than competing with Grain, "We wanted to be friends more than anything," Schaefer says. Over the winter of 2012-13, they labored over two paddleboard prototypes. "at first board took forever to build. Hundreds of hours. Lot of beers," Scovill says. "It was the best day ever stepping on those boards for the first time." Schaefer adds: "We started asking, 'Could we build a business out of this?'" e launched the business in May 2014, and started on the boat show circuit, setting up exhibi- tor booths, including one at the Maine Boatbuilders Show this past March in Portland. Tidal Roots is based in an old house on State Road in Eliot. A downstairs room serves as an office, staging area for prototypes and logos and also houses a small workbench where Schaefer ties flies for fishing. e basement serves as the workshop, with templates, bandsaws and an assortment of tools; it is immaculate, without a speck of sawdust. "We want to keep it clean. at way when you come down in the morning, you're ready to go," says Scovill. A two-car garage has been converted into a workshop to mill wood. Scovill added a woodstove to keep it warm in the winter. ey've gotten faster at building the boards and expect to triple their output this year, to 36 boards. But they also recognize the need for other, less labor-intensive products. Like many aspects of consumer products, standup paddleboarding has fragmented into a number of directions. MEMBER FDIC Let's Make It Happen. Call Today: 1.888.725.2207 Isn't it your business? grow time to You have the strategy. NORWAY SAVINGS HAS YOUR BACK. 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