Handcrafted Skateboards are made in Key West

Handcrafted Skateboards are made in Key West - A man standing in a kitchen preparing food - Key West

It’s pure old school. Bill Schult and Kris Roehrig are taking skateboards out of the factory and putting them back into the hands of craftsmen. These two woodworkers-inventors are combining their passion for wood and skateboarding with their new business Bone Island Originals, or Bio. The unique, one-of-a-kind skateboards are sold only in Key West.

Schult and Roehrig use native wood harvested and milled in the Keys such as Cuban mahogany, tamarind, maple and woman’s tongue. Instead of layering the deck with only plywood, they use one layer of plywood, a fiberglass cloth, and then a patterned combination of native wood. Lastly, a marine grade epoxy coats the board, creating a sturdier deck. The construction is the original design of the two men and no two boards are alike. And they look really, really cool.

The show-stopper is the long board. At six feet long, Schult and Roehrig had to find the right ratio of width to withhold maximum weight without breaking between the trucks (wheels).  They boast that two grown men can ride the long board simultaneously.

“It would take a blow torch to get through the boards,” said Schult proudly.

All the boards are customizable when it comes to wood grain and length, but Bio also offering several features such as embedded LED lights for night riding, Bluetooth speakers to sync to a cell phone, and matching design push poles and wall racks.

“Basically, we are making affordable transportation that looks good and you can throw in your back pack,“ said Roehrig.

Schult and Roehnig are also working on Lexan plexiglass skateboards which will be available in custom colors.

Prices for a Bio Board will range from $100 for a simple deck to a tricked out board for $1,000. Bio boards are already hitting the streets of Key West, but look for them in the Zombie bike ride and locals’ parades come next October. The company website, BioSkateboard.com, is still under construction. Contact Kris Roehnig at 305-942-4103 for details.

Hays Blinckmann is an oil painter, author of the novel “In The Salt,” lover of all things German including husband, children and Bundesliga. She spends her free time developing a font for sarcasm, testing foreign wines and failing miserably at home cooking.