The Process Behind Product Development With BOTE Boards

SAN DIEGO, California - BOTE Boards have some of the most innovative and eye appealing stand up paddling products on the market. They took home two Supconnect 2015 Gear of the Year awards, one in the Technology category for their new Travelink System and the other in the Fishing category for the Ahab. We caught up with Corey Cooper, the man behind BOTE Boards and picked his brain about what his development processes are like at BOTE. Check out our interview below:

People Behind Product Development

Who is involved? And what are their pedigrees?

Here at BOTE, the majority of the people involved in product development are myself, Rob Mcabee, and Pete Buzzelli. In concern to our pedigrees, I was a mechanical engineer-designed machinery for years and then basically used tons of Solid Modeling programs to do all of my designs. Rob has been a creative guy for several outdoor companies in the industry and Pete was a boat mechanic for many years.

Product Development Process

What's the product development process like?

When we sit back, whether it’s a new board or a new product, we basically try to address 1. Who the customer is 2. How we want this to fit within our brand and 3. What the product will look like. For me, obviously one of the most important features is appeal. It’s the old adage, “sex sells,” so if it doesn’t look good, then we’re not going to make it. Once we’ve answered these questions, it’s really a four stage process: it starts analytically on the computer, then to physical model, then back to the computer where it is designed, and then put into production. Typically all of our products start out as a computer design. If it’s a board, it will start out on my computer in Solid Works, which is a 3D modeling software program. From there, it will go to our shaping machine, which is all CNC driven and controlled by the computer program. Once it comes off that machine, we send it off to Pete to be hand shaped, put it in the water, and tested.

Typically we will go through this process 2-3 times on a board shape to get it perfected. Once that is completed, we’ll get the graphics, board shape, and aesthetics over to Rob who will then make it look incredibly good by adding details, deck pads, and anything else that gets the board to the point where it’s sellable. Once we have it there, that’s when the real fun starts. To get it ready for market, we have to do photo shoots, video shoots, make all the branding, and naming. For me, naming of the products is a huge deal because that is what the customer is going to refer to it as.

How long does it take?

Depending on the product we’re making, it can take anywhere from 1 week to 6 months.

The product development process can take up to 6 months to get a specific product just right. | Photos Courtest: BOTE Boards

Products/Consumer Trends

How many tests are done before the product is considered finished?

It just depends on the board. A lot of times we can knock it out in the first design if we’re really good at it.

Where do you test it?

To tell you the truth, we test our products in use. We go and put it through the rigors, whether it’s through the Everglades or taking it somewhere to try it in a specific location that pertains to its intended use. From there, we really use the feedback to dial it in.

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When do you a product is ready for market?

It’s ready for market when it’s right. What does that mean? It means a lot of things, but when it’s completely right and the board is ready to be sold, then that’s when we release it. I’m not willing to sacrifice anything else just to get a product out there. It’s got to look good, function correctly, and be perfect.

What are some of the leading trends you see in this category of product development, for instance, in terms of design, construction, graphics, etc?

We try to set the trends. To tell you the truth, I don’t really look at anyone else’s products because I want to make a board that looks good for us, for BOTE, for me. It’s what we’ve done the entire time. We are constantly trying to stay fresh, stay progressive, and stay innovative and I think if we can do that then I believe the consumers will resonate with what we’re doing.

How do these products differentiate themselves from the competition?

We don’t try to pay attention to the competition. We aim to make a product that fits our brand and focuses on a specific customer that we’re trying to reach. If we can do so, then we win.

Who are the products best suited for?

The AHAB was designed as the ultimate fishing board. It’s big, stable, and has a lot of volume. It paddles great for its size-14’ long and 34” wide. It essentially paddles like a small flat skiff so the fact that it only weighs 42 pounds is amazing. It’s made for people who want to carry more gear, go on long distance traveling, and who want to have a board they can do a lot of stuff on.

The AHAB was designed as the ultimate fishing board.

The Travelink is made for everyone. That whole innovation was basically just that. A thought concept of, “How can we make stand up more accessible for everyone?” One of the biggest complaints from the industry is the transportation of these boards. They’re quite big, if you get any gusts of wind, or you’re transporting it long distances then it’s very difficult. With the Travelink, we wanted to transfer all of the weight to the shoulders so that you’re able to use your back, legs, and core, rather than just your forearms and fingers to carry the board. We really think this is going to help take stand up to the next level in terms of accessibility and also in terms of people buying boards. Now people don’t have reasons to walk away because we can show them a new way to carry the board with this killer product. We see the Travelink System as an expandable project where we hope to do a lot of development with this product’s Travelink plugs in the future.

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