In the third installment of the Beneath the Surface Podcast, Sean and Corey discuss the inspiration behind the Rover.

It’s a micro skiff. It’s a paddle board with a motor. It’s the Rover.

In Beneath the Surface: Rover, Not Your Average Micro Skiff, Sean interviews Corey about the identity of the Rover. From the initial CAD renderings and testing the very first prototype in the Gulf of Mexico, to winning Product of the Year and Best in Show at iCAST in 2016, the Rover is the first of its kind. It skirts the line between a micro skiff and stand up paddle board, so much so that the Coast Guard scratched their heads the first time they saw it.

Get to know the Rover, the most innovative water vessel we’ve ever made.

“People were moving from large bay boats to flat skiffs. So, with the paddle board, I was like, man, this is a killer way to get super shallow and to be really stealthy and have a simple approach to fishing. So we scaled a skiff down, a paddle board up, smashed them together, put a motor on it and there you go.“ – Corey Cooper / CEO & Co-Founder

LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

• Prototyped in the DarkRoom, the Rover is not your average micro skiff.
• Long before the Rover there was the HD.
• Get to know someone who embodies the Rover lifestyle, Harry Madison.
• First came the Rover, then came the Rover Aero.
• Back to the Everglades? Never Again. Except maybe one more time, on the Rover.

WHO'S IN THE EPISODE

Lead Designer, Co-Founder, and CEO at BOTE, Corey Cooper is a licensed engineer hailing from Auburn University. Corey is the pioneer of the DarkRoom, assisting with the design of the machinery, concepting the layout and ultimately developing the workflow used in DarkRoom production. Corey’s passion for this project is so strong that on any given day, regardless of how busy things are at BOTE, you will often find Corey working in the DarkRoom.

Sean Murphy is the Director of Photography at BOTE and a world-renowned photographer based in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. After spending most of his career based in Los Angeles, shooting for brands like Adidas, Red Bull, and Toyota, just to name a few, Sean moved back to the Redneck Riviera. You can find Sean capturing gritty America and spontaneous moments that translate into visually stunning photography.

After 40 years of working on boats, he left the industry and started working on BOTEs, naturally. Pete Buzzelli heads up research and development, helping bring all of Corey’s crazy ideas to life in the DarkRoom.

Harry Madison is a BOTE ambassador who truly embodies the lifestyle.

SOUND BITES

“In order to make your mark on the world, you often have to make a voyage from the familiar into far off places where few have ventured or even dared. These journeys are necessary to discover our true selves and grow our knowledge of the world around us. We have developed a platform that will help you take that journey. A BOTE like no other, that will take you farther, faster than anything we have ever created. We call it Rover.” - Corey Cooper / CEO & Co-Founder