BOTE Announces 2016 HD: The Best All Around Board Made Better

FORT WALTON BEACH, Florida — BOTE®, a leader in standup paddle board innovations, announces the release of their updated 2016 HD board. With new features, accessories, and a brand new look, this board embodies everything the Stand-up Paddle Board (SUP) lifestyle has to offer. The HD gets its name from its unique hull design, which is a hybrid between a recreational surf style hull and a displacement-touring hull with a “V” nose entry referred to as a “hybrid-displacement” hull. This revolutionary hull design helps to make the HD one of the most versatile paddle boards on the market by allowing the board to effortlessly (and quietly) glide through the water while maintaining excellent stability in both smooth and choppy water.

“For 2016, we have redesigned the hull of the HD to be quieter, faster and more efficient,” Corey Cooper, BOTE® owner and designer explains. The changes to the hull design include a low, protruding nose, bow channels and added volume to the forward deck. “We’ve found that this combination of changes has improved the characteristics of the board in best ways possible by allowing the HD to be quieter, smoother paddling and able to shed water from the deck more rapidly,” says Cooper.

Utilizing their in-house, rapid prototyping production facility, the Darkroom, BOTE was able to refine and test several new hull designs before ultimately refining the shape into a final design. “The decision to modify the HD’s design was not taken lightly, this is our best-selling board. We put a ton of research and experimentation into this design before approving it for production,” says Cooper. “We knew we had to hit a home run on this board, and we believe we have done it.”

TThe HD is designed to be versatile working on a variety of different platforms.

Both sizes of the HD were designed to be versatile platforms for recreation, fishing, and expeditions by allowing paddlers to carry a variety of different gear. The twelve-foot HD is capable of supporting 375 pounds of weight (240 pound for the ten-foot six-inch model), which is an impressive feat for a watercraft weighing only 34 pounds (25 pounds for the ten-foot six-inch model). Built-in bungee straps on the front and rear of the board allow paddlers to securely fasten gear to the deck of the board while the optional Tackle Rac provides paddlers with an elevated support to store gear and fishing poles.

BOTE has equipped the HD with Travelink™ Compatible Latch Points as part of their patent pending Travelink™ SUP Carry System. Paddlers can simply attach the Travelink™ Sling, a padded shoulder strap, to the latch points on the board and ergonomically carry the board, hands-free, to and from the shore. Cooper explains, “Not only does the Travelink make the HD very easy for paddlers of any size to carry the board, but you can also use it to hang your board out of the way when you’re not using it or lock it up. Really the uses are almost endless.”

In addition to the Travelink™ system, the HD also includes a host of other features, such as the StashPod, which stores gear or beverages, a new multi-textured deckpad, cooler tie-downs, a newly redesigned grab handle, a ConnexSUP universal accessory mount, and some models include integrated through-holes allowing the use of stake-out poles to temporarily anchor the board. “Corey and I worked really hard on small aesthetic details that take this board to the next level,” says Rob McAbee, BOTE’s Creative Brand Director.“ Whether it's deck pads or in-board functional innovations, all of these things come together to round out the new HD.”

"Fishing, training, expeditions, or just having a cool day on the water drinking some beers, the HD is the board that represents the BOTE lifestyle,” says Cooper.“ This board is absolutely awesome!” Available in five distinct styles, including a Realtree camouflage edition and Bug Slinger™ edition, the new HD board is available for purchase from boteboard.com and any authorized BOTE® dealer. For more information about the HD board visit boteboard.com/HD.

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About BOTE® Paddle Board Company

Founded in late 2009 by Corey and Magda Cooper and Headquartered in Ft. Walton Beach FL, BOTE® is a stand up paddleboard brand. We are a lifestyle brand, we are racers, we are surfers, we are anglers, we are industry leaders and we are technical innovators. The technical innovations are what allow us to Stand Apart. From designing the world’s first fishing specific stand up paddle board to creating a new proprietary Chainmail™ weave, BOTE® continues to push our sport forward. These innovations allow our customers to paddle faster, further and with purpose. We are guided by our mission, “ BOTE® Stands Apart through industry shaping innovation, fresh ideas and simplicity to create a product that defines a lifestyle.”