Paddleboards and paws

With stumpy legs and floppy ears, Murray did not look like the average paddleboard rider. That did not stop the dachshund from jumping onto John Gilbert’s board one day at the lake. As Gilbert watched the dog wag his tail at the front of the board, he realized Murray was the perfect example of the paddleboard way of life.

Gilbert had already been considering creating a stand-up paddleboard company of his own, so with that inspiration, he named it Murray Boards. The family-run business just started selling boards this summer, but its logo – a man and a dachshund on a paddleboard – is gaining recognition in Birmingham and along the Gulf Coast.

“It only made sense that we named the brand after the dog,” Gilbert said. “That cool, laidback lifestyle is the life that Murray led.”

Murray Boards got its start because Gilbert was tired of the bright colors and patterns that every board seemed to have. Paddleboard companies marketed to surfers and teenagers, but Gilbert wanted a vintage look that reminded him of a wooden boat.

“I love Bob Marley, but I don’t want his face on my paddleboard,” Gilbert said. “I really wanted to create a board that somebody could go out on the lake and paddle, then at the end of the day they could hang it on the wall of their living room at their lake house and it would look pretty cool.”

It took two years to transform simple sketches on a napkin into a regular business, but Murray Boards now sells two different board designs along with paddles, ankle leashes, shirts, hats and stickers. Gilbert designs and hand shapes the foam core of each board, which is later inlaid with zebra bamboo to get the distinctive vintage look. A manufacturer helps create the 12-foot boards, since each one takes about 80 hours of work.

“These things start as basically an ice chest. It’s a big, huge Styrofoam cooler that you whittle down,” Gilbert said.

Currently, Murray Boards is the only stand-up paddleboard manufacturer in the state, and its products are sold at Alabama Outdoors in Homewood and online. Gilbert and his wife manage the business from their Highland Lakes home and their two children act as product testers. As the company grows, Gilbert hopes to host demonstration days in nearby lakes and do more business on the beaches of Alabama and Florida.

The boards are not just a business, though. Gilbert has been riding paddleboards for eight years and enjoys the tranquility that comes with being out on a lake. He said he has seen the sport grow because it is relaxing, environmentally friendly and easy to pick up. From beaches and bayous to rivers and lakes, Gilbert said paddleboards can be ridden in any water that is over ten inches deep.

“Anybody can really do it. Once you hop up on [the board], it takes a little while to get your legs,” Gilbert said. “Once you’ve done it one or two times, it’s really easy. Even kids can take it up really easily.”

Murray died on New Year’s Eve after 14 years of adventures with the Gilbert family. His “really cool, laidback” personality, though, is still at the core of Murray Boards and every paddleboard that carries his image.

To learn more, visit murrayboards.com.