At Watersports West we believe in educating our customers and one of the most successful ways we do this is through our Demo Day. 2017 Bote Paddleboards are arriving at the shop and like you, we’re anxious to get out on the water on them. Many people that come by our shop who are interested in Bote Paddleboards want to know the difference between the Rackham, HD and Flood. Based on the consensus of customers testing these boards out at our demo day, the board specs and board features, this article will break down the differences between these Bote Paddleboards.
Lets start with the board specs:
Bote Rackham Bote HD 12′ Bote HD 10’6 Bote Flood 12′ Bote Flood 10’6
Length 12′ 12′ 10’6 12′ 10’6
Width 32″ 32″ 30″ 32″ 30″
Depth 7″ 5″ 4.5″ 5″ 4.5″
Weight 41lbs 32lbs 25lbs 30lbs 25lbs
Capacity 400lbs 375lbs 240lbs 350lbs 230lbs
Now lets break it down:
Length – The most general rule for paddleboards is the longer the board is, the faster it will travel. The 12′ boards will all glide better than the 10’6 boards. We generally recommend for the recreational paddler that if you are above 5’7 and weigh more than 150lbs to go with the 12′ boards and if you’re shorter than 5’7 and under 150lbs go with the 10’6.
Width – Something we constantly hear in the shop is customers telling us that they need a board with a certain width because width determines stability. Width plays a factor in stability but the most important thing to look for when determining the stability of a paddleboard is the volume or capacity of the board. The further below your weight is to the maximum capacity of that paddleboard, the more stable it will feel.
Weight – People are very conscious of the actual weight of paddleboards because if you’re going to be traveling with whichever board on your vehicle, you’ll need to be able to load and manage it yourself. There are techniques of carrying, maneuvering and loading your paddleboard on your vehicle that if you stop by the shop, our staff will gladly go over with you.
Here are the features that come stock on either the Native or Classic designs:
Bote Rackham Bote HD Bote Flood
Paddle Sheath Front & Rear Bungee Front & Rear Bungee
Thru-holes Stashpod Stashpod
2 Connexsup Multi-texture Deck Pad Multi-texture Deck Pad
Front & Rear Bungee Connexsup Grab Handle
Stashpod Grab Handle TraveLink
Multi-texture Deck Pad TraveLink Cooler Tie-downs
Grab Handle Cooler Tie-downs Tackle Rac
TraveLink Tackle Rac
Cooler Tie-downs
- The Rackham has the Paddle Sheath and Thru-holes.. The Classic and Native Bote HD and Bote Floods do not have these two features
- The Rackham and HD have Connexsup.. The Bote Floods do not have the Connexsup
- Note that the Bugslinger and Realtree Editions have added features like the Thru-holes.
Based on the board specs, paddling it ourselves and the feedback from our demo day here is a feel for how each board paddles:
Bote Rackham
The Bote Rackham is without a doubt more stable than the Bote HD and Bote Flood. If you’re looking to put a second person, a dog or load up your board with accessories and a cooler full of goodies, the Bote Rackham is your most comfortable option. The Rackham also features a deeper “V” in the nose of the board. This allows the board to track straighter and handle chop better. There are more features on the Rackham, which provides paddlers with more and creative ways to rig this board. The one downside to the Rackham vs the HD and Flood is that it is the heaviest of the boards.
Who is this board for: People who purchase the Rackham want to make the most of their paddling. They are typically looking for a recreational board that paddles efficiently, is ultra stable and can handle any condition.
Bote HD
The Bote HD is our most popular selling Bote board. It tracks straight, is ultra versatile and highly maneuverable. Its a board you won’t outgrow.
Bote Flood
The Bote Flood is a fun, feel good board thats made for the paddler that wants to paddle both flat water and surf. With all the features Bote applies to its board, you can do a lot with the Flood.