Hey John,
I built a Kaholo 12.5 Hybrid for my bride a couple of years ago and she loves it. I’ll get to your questions but first I have several other suggestions:
A. If you have not yet ordered the kit, take another look at the suggested paddler weights. Unless your friend is large, the 12.5 may be a better choice because it will be smaller and lighter (easier to store and transport). Both my wife and I are beginners on SUP and have no problem handling the smaller boat.
B. Work out the basics of your strip design before ordering the kit. By default, CLC sends 1/3 each of the three colored woods but you can request other ratios. If you plan to do any intricate patterns, you might also want to request square strips vice bead and cove. Since the Kaholo deck builds flat you really don’t need B&C and the square strips are less complicated to shape. Lastly, the Walnut is much denser than WRC, so it is heavier, harder to bend and harder to sand. Unless you don’t mind a heavy board, I would minimize use of that color.
C. Recommend that you do not install the standard CLC fins but install the optional fin box instead. This allows you to change the fin to better suit the conditions/paddler. We have a 9” which is great for beginners because it greatly increases stability of the board. For regular flat water paddling we use a 5” and we have a flexible 4” fin for use in waters with obstructions.
Now to your questions:
1. You are correct that lining up all the ends will create a weaker spot in the deck. While I agree with James’ comments regarding strength, I would add that strength of the SUP deck is more important because you stand on it, where as the deck of a kayak is not subjected to much weight. The other point is that you will likely be adding the pads to the center of the boat so it is wasted effort to make a fancy design in the center of the boat that will be hidden from view. My suggestion is to avoid lining up the ends in the center of the boat where the paddler might stand, but you could safely do so forward and aft. I do not have any good sources for a “catalog” of deck designs. When I build for my bride, she creates a folder of designs that she likes then chooses from those. One thing about the Hybrid Kaholo is that the instructions call for the deck to be built on a table vice on the boat like is done with kayaks. The result is that most of the strip designs on the Kaholos run straight forward/aft. My bride wanted the strip pattern on her board to conform to the shape of the hull like on her strip kayak, so I built her deck on the board.
2. No breather needed with the Beckson port. I drilled a 1/8” hole in the port cover so that the boat can vent with the cover on. Very little water gets in through this hole, but I make sure to wipe out the hull after use. The board is stored inside with the cover off.
3. The default handle location for the Kaholo is on the centerline in the middle of the boat. This allows a single person to carry the board under his/her arm. No ideas regarding a recessed handle but I believe it would be hard because a stringer runs down the center of the boat. Any recessed handle would necessarily cut into the stringer and possible weaken the deck in the area that the paddler stands. I added a brass eyes trap on the bow for use of a bow line but could easily attach a toggle there. I glued a Ropeye to the stern as a leash attach point. Ropeye is a product made in NZ. I am not sure if they are still available in the US.
4. Actually, this is a possibility. There are several companies that sell electric motor/fin combinations that mount to the fin box.
Hope that this helps!
Here is a link to my build pictures: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmQyYAMp
