Bote Paddle Boards
About Bote Paddle Boards
We have always been surrounded by water. Magda grew up swimming 4-6 hours a day training to become a 3x collegiate National Champion at Auburn University while I, with much less acclaim, got in on the action as well and now spend my free time fishing or going for swims whenever possible even if it means getting wet! After college we both moved down here together – you can’t beat Destin’s weather (not that there was really any choice)!
When I think of Florida, the first things that come to mind are palm trees and warm weather. However, my husband is from Alabama so he had family in town for one month every year while growing up this meant spending time with relatives on winter days when temperatures were cold enough that people bundled up before stepping out into public spaces like stores or schools!
The small hometown where he grew up influenced much more than just culture; food was also heavily intertwined between families due to both migratory patterns as well as marriage traditions which made their way down through generations after hundreds if not thousands of years’ worth…
We first tried stand-up paddling in late 2008 and loved the “idea”…but hated the product; both form and function. All of the boards we tried were the same thing but with a different name. They were all basically giant, unstable, surfboards. It was around that time that I looked at Magda and said, “We can make this better; we can make a board that stands apart.”
I wanted a board that was stable enough to fish from, yet paddled efficiently. A board that could hold a cooler for my beer. A board that was simple, fresh, and fit our lifestyle. A board that virtually anybody at any age could paddle with ease. It needed the capabilities of a boat with the simplicity of aboard. And, it needed to look good…really good.
So…we left our successful careers (Magda was a financial advisor and I was a Mechanical Engineer) and started making our boats, or what we decided to call “BOTE”. All we had for funding was a cashed in 401K worth about 7 Grand, a pocket full of credit cards, and a shit-ton of hard work ahead of us.
BOTE Paddle Boards has become our life. From business to product we live it every second of every day. We call it our second child! We’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by people and employees who share in our passion for the product. Many of them have been with us since day one. Luckily there are a lot of other people who also think our boards are great and because of that we’ve become a nationwide brand guided by our mission: “Stand Apart through industry-shaping innovation, fresh ideas, and simplicity to create a product that defines a lifestyle.”
Corey Cooper
CEO and Founder
