Mike Litter Ocean Craft

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Mike Litter Ocean Craft I make fiberglass-free wooden paddles, hand planes and surfboards.

Thx Jack Bober for the great Hardly Strictly Handplanes captures. Thanks to everyone who came out and played!
10/08/2026

Thx Jack Bober for the great Hardly Strictly Handplanes captures. Thanks to everyone who came out and played!

Hardly Stricly Handplanes is back! We’ll be at Irving Street from 9 to 11 this Sunday. Come splash around with your neig...
09/30/2026

Hardly Stricly Handplanes is back! We’ll be at Irving Street from 9 to 11 this Sunday. Come splash around with your neighbors, demo handplanes and try to surf the alaia if you dare! Coffee, donuts and bagels will be on hand. Thx for the killer poster Maxwell_Lohr

Welcome Poppy Nelson-Smith to team MLOC. Poppy is an incredibly talented NorCal Junior paddler who is improving every ti...
04/05/2026

Welcome Poppy Nelson-Smith to team MLOC. Poppy is an incredibly talented NorCal Junior paddler who is improving every time she hits the water. I’m honored that she’s using my paddles and collaborating with me on design. brings a unique combination of joy, discipline and competitiveness to her paddling. She’s also an environmentalist who raised over $1K for as part of her Wild Buffalo Relay campaign! And if that’s not impressive enough, she also joined me in the shop to design her own templates and work on her blades. Notice the hand-painted poppies on her signature paddles! I’m thrilled to be a small part of her paddling journey. Poppy, good luck to you and next weekend at WBR.



Any wood nerds out there who can name the hand tools on the bench? The fun part is quietly carving away at the paddle bl...
02/19/2026

Any wood nerds out there who can name the hand tools on the bench? The fun part is quietly carving away at the paddle blanks with these exquisite tools. Some are commonly used by chair makers, others by luthiers and one even by coopers. I use plenty of power tools too, but the shaping phase is best done the old fashioned way. And check a few shots of the clean looking paddles taking shape.

How cool is this shot from on the Big Island. Clearly this epic steering blade found a good home!
02/17/2026

How cool is this shot from on the Big Island. Clearly this epic steering blade found a good home!

The sailing canoe steering blade project continues! Made two big water blades for the Kauai guys. We also lucked into a...
01/11/2026

The sailing canoe steering blade project continues! Made two big water blades for the Kauai guys. We also lucked into a magical rainbow filled afternoon on Lumahai beach for this impromptu photo shoot. These big blades are epic. I’m tempted to name each one to honor their mana and recognize them as a steersperson’s legendary companion. Think Thor and his hammer, Mjolnir! Also made a few OC1 paddles - two bound for Marleny and Dave Parmenter on Kauai and one delivered today to for service in Sausalito and Lake Tahoe. It a pleasure to make paddles for such incredible people. And thank you .litter for paddle modeling!

Over the years I’ve resisted making decorative paddles, believing that the spirit of the work exists in the combination ...
12/19/2025

Over the years I’ve resisted making decorative paddles, believing that the spirit of the work exists in the combination of form and function. , however, didn’t have to twist my arm to make a wall hanger in honor of our mutual friend, the late Carla Pollard. Carla was a one of a kind Marin County gem who never hesitated to lend a hand to those in need. Not having to think about paddle strength freed me up to focus on building a beautiful paddle that reflected Carla’s character. So for this California girl I used reclaimed w**e tank Redwood and Douglas Fir, two local timbers that complement each other. Carla was a gifted bookkeeper and seamstress, two contrasting professions that she uniquely combined. Jeff, thanks for prompting me to honor Carla and to think beyond functional stuff. I hope this paddle will keep Carla’s memory alive in your life. Making it was certainly healing for me.

**etankredwood

I forgot to follow up on ‘s paddle repair. For those who have been waiting anxiously for the result of the job, here it...
12/10/2025

I forgot to follow up on ‘s paddle repair. For those who have been waiting anxiously for the result of the job, here it is. The surgery was a success! The broken piece was reattached and secured further with some additional edge banding over the original. The old varnish was sanded off. A new logo was printed on and varnish was reapplied. Included in the photo set is the new paddle I made for Dan. Notice the Oak edge banding which is a little heavier and stronger than the Cherry I normally use, but a better fit for Dan’s paddling “style”. For the rest of you MLOC paddle owners: don’t be afraid to bring your paddles back in for service. I won’t be (that) mad. I (probably) won’t roast you on IG. But I will (definitely)be glad to keep your paddle in tip-top shape for as long as possible.

Two sailing canoe steering blades ready for service in the hands of on the big island. Mike is a master canoe sailor an...
11/30/2025

Two sailing canoe steering blades ready for service in the hands of on the big island. Mike is a master canoe sailor and an incredible artist. It was a pleasure to build for him. The big paddle- based on Nick Beck’s big water blade- is constructed partially from old growth redwood salvaged from a decommissioned w**e tank. Redwood is gorgeous but not strong enough for the heavy work of canoe steering, so that blade was expertly glassed by Sam . The smaller blade - also based on Nick’s favorite mid water steering paddle - is a modern iteration of an old-school blade with no composite reinforcement. The combo of Sitka Spruce, Douglass Fir and White Oak should be strong enough to handle the big loads generated in Hawaiian canoe surfing and sailing. The Koa handles are small nod to Hawaiian tradition.

Calling all Ocean Beach body surfers! It’s time for the bi-annual body surfing expression session. Come on down to the b...
09/09/2025

Calling all Ocean Beach body surfers! It’s time for the bi-annual body surfing expression session. Come on down to the base of Irving Sat the 20th and splash around with your aquatic neighbors. I’ll have handplanes, turbo lunchtrays, a paipo and an alaia to play with. And coffee and Bob’s donuts of course! Thank you for making the cool poster.

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