[Rover]

Micro Power Pole down

Paddled with motor

As a Fly Fishing platform

Under Power

"Wheel Rac"

A view of the "paddle sheath" and 2 add on Roto-Pack gas cans

General Rover Info, where stuff goes.



(all pictures borrowed from Google Images)

Have one? Want one? Think they're the stupidest thing ever designed? or the greatest thing since high modulus graphite? Everyone is welcome to share their opinions!


*Disclaimer- I have absolutely no affiliation with Bote or any other watersports company*


Now that we have all that out of the way let the fun begin:

 

[Rover]

I'm new to this Forum but hopefully it's ok to start up this thread.

Anyway, I have a new Bote Rover on Order IDENTICAL to the one is the first picture (Bugslinger Color, Black Racking, Grey Bucket, same sandspear) except I ordered mine to come in Bote's GatorShell (Plastic) instead of the Glass/ Epoxy Board shown.

There is already a thread on motors for these but if possible I'd like to move everything Rover related over here to keep it easier for those searching for information to find it all in one place. Here's all the information on accessories that I've come up with so far.

Bote Rover Available in "Gatorshell" or "Honey-Core" (Plastic or composite) Includes Moto-Rac, Paddle, and some fins. $3499.99
Grab Rack (multiple colors) $200
Cooler Rack (multiple colors) $200
Wheel Rack $150
Kula (Cooler in 5 gallon bucket form, multiple colors) $200
Sand Spear (works as Micro Power Pole Anchor) $120

-That's everything I see from BOTE for the Rover right now.

6HP Motor choices are:
Merc/ Tohatsu- ~59lbs
Suzuki ~52lbs
Yamaha ~60lbs
Honda (Decided to stop making their 6hp I guess?)

Power Pole Mirco with Battery Pack, mounting locations on both sides of the rear of this Board

Fish Finder with Battery Pack:


Hauling options:
Trailers:
-Yakima
Roof Rack:
-Rover is 105 lbs so unless you have help or a good set of rollers this may be tough.
Truck Bed:
-My personal choice, Since I have a Decked Truck drawer system in my Short Box Tacoma I will be mounting a set of Yakima Landing Pad 6's to the Deck over the Steel reinforced bars with a 3/8" backing plate spanning the Steel tubing. This should ensure maximum strength and no way for the bolts to pull through the HDPE Decking. I also ordered the Yakima "Long Arm" truck bed extender this will allow me to tilt the extender to the proper angle to line up with my Decked System and also I plan on tilting it to 45 degrees to aid in Roof top loading on my camper top should the need arise. Yakima Sweet Roll kayak racks *should* aid in rolling the Rover in and out and providing a good platform to strap down to.

I’ll try to keep this post edited as info comes in.

 

[Capnredfish]

Looks like the next plastic toy in the way at the ramp while the owner messes around tying on gear and bsing. Sure it’s fun though.

 

[Rover]

Looks like the next plastic toy in the way at the ramp while the owner messes around tying on gear and bsing. Sure it’s fun though.

Haha... maybe. I owned a 19ft Lund walk through for quite a few years and ALWAYS used a bunk trailer. I’d unhook everything but the front winch back into the water with a buddy sitting in the drivers seat he’d fire the motor and unhook the front drive off while I’d go park. Same thing to load. Drive up on the bunk hook the front and drive out of the way. I bet i didn’t waste more than 90 seconds on either side.

Now with the Rover, to be honest I bought the wheel kit. I was planning on unloading and setting it up in the parking lot, wheeling it down the ramp and driving off in it. I imagine if it’s launched on a trailer or tried to drag out of a truck at the ramp it’ll be the same comedy show we all see every spring.

 

[Capnredfish]

It’s all in the user, not the toy.

 

[Fritz]

I saw one of these recently in person and thought it was the coolest thing ever (by 'ever' I mean within the last fifteen or twenty minutes at least). I wanted one, still do kinda.

They show really well, but they are not cheap, base price is $3,500, I'm guessing after a motor and a few options you have 7K or more into that thing. I signed up for and received a really impressive catalog complete with a wall poster from Bote. I'm thinking a big part of their price is in advertising, this was not a cheap pamphlet, more like a coffee table book full of hipster millennials finding themselves with Bote's help.

And that round Kula cooler is just stupid. There is a reason they have the round cooler niche all to themselves, it's a dumb idea.

 

[Capnredfish]

I thought it was a yeti bucket when I first glanced at it.

 

[Rover]

I saw one of these recently in person and thought it was the coolest thing ever (by 'ever' I mean within the last fifteen or twenty minutes at least). I wanted one, still do kinda.

They show really well, but they are not cheap, base price is $3,500, I'm guessing after a motor and a few options you have 7K or more into that thing. I signed up for and received a really impressive catalog complete with a wall poster from Bote. I'm thinking a big part of their price is in advertising, this was not a cheap pamphlet, more like a coffee table book full of hipster millennials finding themselves with Bote's help.

And that round Kula cooler is just stupid. There is a reason they have the round cooler niche all to themselves, it's a dumb idea.

I ended up ordering mine “pre-season” for $3300, and they “offered -10% on all accessories. I ordered the Rover, Grab Rack, Cooler Rack, Wheel, Rack, Kula, and Sand Spear. All told with Tax it was exactly $4417.79 (didn’t worry about tax ordering it local since to register it i would have to pay that anyway).

I’m planning on a Tohatsu 6hp for about $1300 (no tax). Everything shipped free. So $5700-ish for a running “Bote” Power Pole Mirco and Battery is $700, and a fish finder, rod holders, I’d say 7K is a safe estimate.

Is that a lot? Well I’m NOT a millennial (I’m 38) and i can afford it so to me its worth it. Obviously 7K isn’t pocket change, but it’s also not serious boat money by any means.

I’m really hoping it fits my needs well, I’ve got a lot of plans for it.

As far as the Kula? Well it’s a $200 5 gallon bucket. Yeti makes a regular plastic one that cost $50, this one is insulated, has a padded seat (my main purpose) and a bottle opener, so again I’d say for the $180 I had to pay it was a fine deal. If you have a 35qt yeti and wanna sit on that with a stick on seat pad. Well that costs even more but why not!

I’m loving this discussion because it’s really making me think. I plan on detailing my truck rack install to carry it as well as my fishing adventures with it.

 

[Rover]

I saw one of these recently in person and thought it was the coolest thing ever (by 'ever' I mean within the last fifteen or twenty minutes at least). I wanted one, still do kinda.

They show really well, but they are not cheap, base price is $3,500, I'm guessing after a motor and a few options you have 7K or more into that thing. I signed up for and received a really impressive catalog complete with a wall poster from Bote. I'm thinking a big part of their price is in advertising, this was not a cheap pamphlet, more like a coffee table book full of hipster millennials finding themselves with Bote's help.

And that round Kula cooler is just stupid. There is a reason they have the round cooler niche all to themselves, it's a dumb idea.

As far as the catalog. I got one too, it’s kinda cool, I’ll agree way expensive. If you think that’s targeted marketing you should check out their YouTube channel. It's actually pretty cool, I realize it's only a promo video but the "Keys Reloaded" video is pretty much a summary of my ideal vacation. HAHA. Someday when I'm older and Richer maybe I will be able to live down there.

I only fell in love with the Rover for the thought of getting on it. Running up the river than fishing my way back with a paddle, i LOVE to paddle so this isn’t a “lazy” feature for me, but i work midnights so an engine allows me to fish 3-4 hours a day in the morning after work, rather than paddle 3 hours and fish for 1. Simple economics for me!

 

[Padre]

well, I don't own a Bote but I am very familiar with them. Corey, the owner and designer, is my neighbor. Many people I know fish off them, including the Rover. They are very generous as a company, supporting many initiatives that support clean water and estuaries. They are giving us a Bugslinger to give away at the 2018 Fly Fishing Film Tour in Destin in 2 weeks. Here is what you have to say about Bote and Kula: Corey found a market niche and went after it. They are very innovative and are always coming up with new innovations that I am surprised that no one else thought of them. I have fished off SUP's and thought, "This is what this needs." And then they come up with it. They are in my opinion, the leader in the SUP fishing industry.

 

[Rover]

well, I don't own a Bote but I am very familiar with them. Corey, the owner and designer, is my neighbor. Many people I know fish off them, including the Rover. They are very generous as a company, supporting many initiatives that support clean water and estuaries. They are giving us a Bugslinger to give away at the 2018 Fly Fishing Film Tour in Destin in 2 weeks. Here is what you have to say about Bote and Kula: Corey found a market niche and went after it. They are very innovative and are always coming up with new innovations that I am surprised that no one else thought of them. I have fished off SUP's and thought, "This is what this needs." And then they come up with it. They are in my opinion, the leader in the SUP fishing industry.

That is awsome to hear!!!! Thank you!!!!

 

[crboggs]

Its not a SUP anymore once you hang a motor off of it and load it up with accessories.

I have a canoe and a SUP and can't imagine hanging a motor on either. It would ruin the point of why I bought them.

These things look like Jet Ski Lite to me.

 

[Rover]

Its not a SUP anymore once you hang a motor off of it and load it up with accessories.

I have a canoe and a SUP and can't imagine hanging a motor on either. It would ruin the point of why I bought them.

These things look like Jet Ski Lite to me.

Its not a SUP anymore once you hang a motor off of it and load it up with accessories.

I have a canoe and a SUP and can't imagine hanging a motor on either. It would ruin the point of why I bought them.

These things look like Jet Ski Lite to me.

They make traditional boards too, though they obviously don’t belong on Microskiff.com

Think of this as a SUP for someone who wants to fish 5 miles from the launch.

 

[Padre]

one of the reasons why I sold my SUP was because I never used it. I would rather fish out of my skiff. If the fishing isn't good, I can always run somewhere else. The only time I used it was when I had to go somewhere and I knew I had some spare time to fish and I didn't have time to put my boat on the trailer. Then I would throw it on the car. But other than that, I would rather be on my skiff. I think this solves that same problem for them. They can motor where they want and then go stealth by paddling. Harry Madison fishes on a Rover up here in Destin and it has expanded his range now. And he is always catching the big reds on it.

 

[crboggs]

Oh I get it...I've paddled miles on the SUP or in the canoe myself. And I have a skiff.

Just looks like something else for the Hobie Pro Angler crowd to upgrade to when they get tired of pedaling.

 

[Rover]

Oh I get it...I've paddled miles on the SUP or in the canoe myself. And I have a skiff.

Just looks like something else for the Hobie Pro Angler crowd to upgrade to when they get tired of pedaling.

I looked hard at Hobies and Jackson’s but in the end being able to stand and cast a clear deck (with a fly rod) was a way bigger selling point to me over the motor. And i just couldn’t live with the limited range of a SUP alone.

I really hope someone that actually runs/ fishes out of a Rover jumps in here soon. I’d love to see some actual pictures of it in action.

I should have mine in a couple weeks and I’ll be hitting it pretty hard for Walleye and Pike (I live up North). But I’d love to see someone using one is these at Misquito or somewhere similar now.

 

[Fritz]

Rover I love that you're telling us how much this thing cost, that seldom happens here and I appreciate it. One concern I had with the Rover is it's durability. It looks like surfboard construction and I see dings happening every where. Does the Bote Rover have the Gatorshell construction?

Post up pictures, lots of them, I would love to see more. As I said, at the boat show I thought it was super cool, it might be a ton of fun.

 

[CurtisWright]

I plan on detailing my truck rack install to carry it as well as my fishing adventures with it.

I highly highly highly recomend spending your money on a trailer and not truck racks.

Unless you can comfortably snatch 110lbs from the side position, loading this thing will be a bear.

 

[Rover]

Rover I love that you're telling us how much this thing cost, that seldom happens here and I appreciate it. One concern I had with the Rover is it's durability. It looks like surfboard construction and I see dings happening every where. Does the Bote Rover have the Gatorshell construction?

Post up pictures, lots of them, I would love to see more. As I said, at the boat show I thought it was super cool, it might be a ton of fun.

I ordered mine in Gatorshell, i had zero use for the composite though speaking to the company they really tried to sell me on it. No thanks!!!

It’s not on the website but i ordered mine in Bugslinger Gatorshell

I wasn’t sure about listing price but F it. Like i said no one is sponsoring me it’s my money! (DONT TELL MY WIFE) haha

I won’t have mine until at least 2 weeks but i will post pics when it arrives. It’s actually here just waiting on the racking

 

[Rover]

I highly highly highly recomend spending your money on a trailer and not truck racks.

Unless you can comfortably snatch 110lbs from the side position, loading this thing will be a bear.

“Bed Rack”