Grotesque. That’s what Paul Lavoie thought as he sat outside a cabin in the Canadian mountains, sipping a coffee and watching the loons. “I was enjoying nature when this pedal boat goes by,” he recalls. “This yellow-and-blue plastic thing that looked like Tupperware.”
His aesthetic sensibilities sufficiently jarred, he began a search for a classic wood version, one more like his 42-foot Matthews Grace that was built in 1958. None existed, so he built one under the name Beau Lake—which he invented because beau means beautiful in French, and it sounded good.
The first pedal-boat model sold out. The company also sold out its St. Tropez pedal boat ($18,500) and electric 14-foot boat ($45,000) with vintage styling.
Then Lavoie got to thinking that water toys are ugly too. “Why do you spend so much money on your boat, and then for some of these accessories, it’s just bad buying,” he says. “Why can’t everything—the Bimini, the steps, the paddleboard—be beautiful?”
Hence, the Beau Lake series of stand-up paddleboards. They come in various shapes and sizes, solid or inflatable. Most of the solid boards are made with EVA foam under wood veneers, with The Rapid model built in carbon fiber and veneer. Each of those boards takes about a week to build. Paddles can be wood, which he says looks nicer, or carbon, which is adjustable.
The Beau Lake team is also trying to figure out how to make a beautiful board that’s fully eco-friendly. “It’s a project that we’re calling The Last Paddleboard,” Lavoie says. “We’re working with all kinds of interesting people to try and figure this thing out.”
The Collection
Models by Beau Lake include 1. The Rapid ($5,100) It’s 14 feet long and moves a little faster through the water. 2. Vilebrequin ($1,400) This is an inflatable board based on the swimwear and clothing company’s Raiatea pattern. 3. The Muskoka ($3,900) Maple and holly wood veneers define this style. 4. The Newport ($1,150) This inflatable board is inspired by the sailing town in Rhode Island.
