Middle school student Frank’s handmade hand boards make the shelves

By Lauren Farberman

Staff Writer

Manhattan Beach Middle School seventh-grader Noa Duke Frank uses his growing business acumen and attraction to the ocean to design, make and sell hand boards for children his age in local surf shops.

Hand boards are used by bodysurfers to increase buoyancy and lift while riding waves, worn one on each hand. Frank founded the business titled Noakai Designs in May 2014 after becoming frustrated with the limited hand plane options available in the South Bay. Frank said the hand planes in most local stores were either cheaply made or too expensive for his age group. As a solution, Frank set out to make a hand plane that could be accessible to everyone in terms of price and quality.

“I watched videos on Youtube to learn more about how hand planes [were] built, which really helped me make one for myself,” Frank said. “After messing around with it in the water, my friends thought the hand plane I made was super cool, so I started making more for them.”

Noakai Designs began to grow organically through the support of his family and friends. This growth caught the interest of local surf stores approximately three months ago.

“I never thought that the hand planes I started making just for fun would ever end up in the popular stores that I shop at,” Frank said. “I am still shocked when I walk into a store and see something I made out on display.”

Frank says he currently makes three to seven hand planes a week depending on how many orders he has or if there are any popular events, such as the Hometown Fair. It takes him one to two hours per hand plane depending on if the design is painted on or if it is burned in, which typically takes longer than a paint job. After he makes enough to fill the store’s order, he transports them to Spyder Surf Shop in Hermosa, Tyler Surf in El Segundo and Rider Shack in Culver City to sell them.

“Some weeks I’ll have a lot of custom orders, which can really be overwhelming,” Frank said. “Each week is different, and I am learning how to manage my time better as the business grows.”

Noakai Designs hand planes are made with half-inch birch plywood made in Russia, stainless steel screws, painted and burned designs, a rubber strap and urethane for waterproofing. They sell for anywhere between $40 to $50.

“It takes a decent amount of time to sand, pain and coat each hand board, and he enjoys his work because it is a creative outlet for him,” Costa junior Kalea Frank said.

The company name Noakai Designs is a mixture of Noa’s name and kai, which is the Hawaiian word for ocean. The company is Frank’s way of combining his passion for the ocean and his artistic skills, which he incorporates into designing the hand planes on his own.

“It’s difficult to put into words how I come up with design ideas because they just come to me,” Noa Duke Frank said. “Each design is unique and different from one another and no two hand planes are exactly the same.”

Along with Noakai Designs being sold in stores, potential customers can check out Noa Duke Frank’s business at the Noakai Designs website and place custom orders from there also. Frank is currently enrolled in the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce’s Young Entrepreneur Academy to acquire skills to properly manage his business.

“It is amazing seeing people get in the water making use of something I have made,” Noa Duke Frank said. “A year ago, I never would have thought I would be where I am now.”