We've had ours for 3 years. we have a mercury 6HP on it or the 30lb Minkota trolling motor. Knock on wood it has been solid! We fish Bass on lakes and she has been solid. Our son has used it with 2 of his friends to lake fish. 1 on the bow, 1 in the cockpit, and 1 behind the trolling motor. 100% spot on in the staining. Blood will stain it. We garage store it, and if it's outside, it's always under a tree and not in direct sunlight. come winter, semi deflated and stored inside. Would love for Bote to have multiple mounting sites for the sand spear, as it will pivot depending on wind.
Thanks for the honest review. I bought a Bote Aero used for a good price. I haven't had a chance to really look it over good yet, but I'll make sure to look out for things you pointed out. I wanted to have something I could easily take around on family road trips. We'll have to see how things work out for me. I luckily have a friend that owns a shop and carries Bote products.
@@andrewlongron I just watched that too. It's unfortunate the quality is not so great. Their design looks more appealing to the eye than competitors. A friend of mine has been happen with Solo Skiff. He end up buying a second one. Do you have any idea what direction you're planning to go for another vessel?
@@TomyTekOutdoors for the money I went ahead and went with a 2018 pro skiff 16. I got it for $12,500. Florida has a ton of true micro skiff and I honestly think if you are upgrading from a kayak but don’t want a big boat. Just get a small skiff. I’m on a three week road trip now with it, and it’s the best decision I made.
I appreciate you posting this video. I saw a bote is selling these for over half off on their website right now. I was tempted, but now I understand why. thank you for your review and looking out for the consumer 👍
Not all heroes wear capes, I had been looking at a Bote Lono Aero Inflatable Kayak and couldn't find much independent info on it. At the price point it was worth looking into at the very least
I’ve had mine for about three years and must be a lucky one, have had no issues and left it in the back of my truck deflated for about six months. Hidea is ass and I went with a Nissan 8hp two stroke….20-22mph with it loaded. Still going strong and use it quite often. Btw their electric pump is garbage and the bag the board comes with as well.
As a kayaker I feel like we have to be so much more aware of saftey concerns than people realize and it’s disheartening that it’s not talked about more. And thank you!
I just bought the same one, electric motor is 30lbs lighter than the 46 pound motor. I prefer 40lbs of battery anyhow. Get a 5 chamber Isle 12’6 if you want to load up 150lbs.
The biggest mistake I've made was buying a aero rover doesn't plane I've had 6 seam blowouts bote didn't want to fix the first one so didn't waste my time on the rest. The bag didn't make the 2nd trip I ended up using a big hockey bag. There selling Chinese crap as a name brand top self product. The bote aero is only worth the price if you can get it at 500 bucks or less. Good review tho
thanks for the info. I’m looking for a something to get out on the water with as a young college grad who can’t afford much. What did you end up replacing the rocer with
@@thegrazingapprentice so I got the hardshell but ended up sending that back too. A few options I’m looking at are the Flycraft two person series or Neptv makes a sick little setup and will ship to the US !
I have a hobie outback! Lol and before that I had a pro angler. Just can’t handle the Texas heat like I use to and my days to fish are getting further apart. Was trying to get something to allow me to move around a little bit. The hard shell wasn’t much better
Add gear weight and fish does not increase the psi. Only temp will. Whether your truck is jacked up or on the ground the pressure is the same in the tire.
Bote has/had the worst customer service ever. Warranty claim? Forget it. They claimed they were out of stock on the inflatable seats for over a year, but still sold the complete kayaks. Big liars. Company is now sold, but I still hear lots of complaints.
Dude this is one of the best product reviews I’ve ever seen. You just saved me a few hundred bucks and likely hours of aggravation. Not going to lie, I kinda felt let down by my last peddle yack and the schilling done on that product. If your ever in central Fla and want to slay some snook, I’ll hook you up for the save. Keep Slaying!
Just trying to keep people informed! I’m out that way a few times a year! Which part! When comes to kayaks, Hobie, Jackson, and native when it comes to peddle drives!
@@andrewlongron Melbourne Beach/Sebastian. Hammering snook, reds, trout, drum, sheeps, ect. I’m an inshore guy. I had the Hobie passport, and while everyone’s situation is different, I found between loading and unloading, lugging from spot to spot then getting the gear and everything else situated, and the fact I fish waters that have dramatic depth changes from super shallow and skinny to deep, it was too much fing around. If I took it out in the ocean it likely would have been legit. I only feel sea fish the gulf side and Keys. Bro I too have a heat tolerance from being on roofs all day every day. I don’t want to struggle doing something I should be enjoying. I traded it straight up for a 2013 gheenoe and trailer. Front mounted a trolling motor and strapped on a 9.9. I can fish anything. I also have a Jon boat with swamp motor for hunting. Thing can run literally on nothing. The offer is no joke. Dude I’d love to see a follow up on the hard shell.
Sorry you had to learn the hard way on this. Sounds like a very aggravating experience. I remember seeing this up close when West Marine had them in store a couple years ago. They put them them on a fire sale in August 2020 for $700, and I did go to my local store fully intending to buy one. I talked to the guy at the store and he said the return rate was over 50%. Nothing but problems, hence the fire sale. I passed on the deal. This is the kind of thing that seems like a good idea at first. It seems to check all the boxes for a certain niche use. But the more you think it about, the more you realize its just an insanely overpriced pool float.
@@andrewlongron The hard shell never made sense to me. Its too big, heavy, and complicated to launch off the back of a truck from the side of the road more than a few times. You will end up getting a trailer, and for that you mind as well get a Gheenoe, other microskiff, or jon boat that offers more features, capacity, and so forth, for really not a whole lot more money. I get that Bote is trying to offer something modern and cool, but at the end of the day its a huge step backwards. I have yet to hear of an owner of the Bote Rover hard shell that held on to it for more than a year. This goes from super pumped to put it on craigslist after just a few uses.
@@KungPowEnterFist you are not wrong on any of those points, what is annoying is they promote it as a truck bed skiff but then don’t even make a cart for it? And the material is very easily scratched unless you are in pure sand. Otherwise you have to be basically right in the water to launch.
@@andrewlongron To even have a chance to be a "truck bed skiff," you can forget about a 10HP outboard. Too heavy, period, end of story. Even with the lightest 6HP (Zuke), this is still going to be quite heavy and cumbersome with the outboard mounted. You will end up having to assemble it all at the shoreline or ramp. This adds a lot of work in the field and invariably more wear and tear on the outboard, motor rack, etc. Plus all the other stuff you need to assemble/mount/load only while the board is on the ground. IMO, for fishing specifically, a Gheenoe or jon boat blows this thing away. Outboards are for travelling. Trolling motors are for fishing. You can't have both on the Rover, and that is its biggest flaw.
I bought one of those $700 specials at WM Galveston, back in 2020, I wouldn't have pulled the trigger at full price. Still going strong, the only issue I have is windage due to the high profile, I do think some manufacturing batches could be duds, but I haven't seen any of the problems described here. I do have an epropulsion outboard which I think makes a difference, so no gas or heat generation issues
I was initially very keen on installment plan but decided not to as it could be a case of their failed products n they came up with installment to attract more customers...Infact all along reviews has been negative by many users seems like nothing has been done n selling same old design from very first launch
The Bote Rover seems to have been a big mistake from the company as I don’t see these complaints for their regular paddle boards and kayaks. Bote definitely either didn’t understand what they were making or didn’t test it enough. It also seems incredibly lazy that they slightly modified their existing Rackham design rather than making an entirely new platform.
damn sorry buddy... try Westmarine rip 310 boat and 9.9hp motor... or 6 hp... i think you gonna love it... 👍👍... you spent your money for your hobby now end up with frustrated... it's no good... 🙏🙏🙏
You're problem is with the motor - nothing to do with BOTE's inflatable paddleboard products. I'm pretty sure they have the industry standard for inflatables...if anyone wants some advice from someone whose been paddleboarding for 10 years, the BOTE Rackham is probably the best product I've ever had touch the water. I know you stated it wasn't a bashing video, but it is pretty clear that is not the case and you should be more explicit in delineating BOTE from the motor manufacturer. If you had issues - did you even try contacting BOTE through tech support? When setting up my new board from them they were extremely helpful with online chat and email communication.
Vinny you obviously didn’t watch my video bc the motor was such a minute portion of it. I went into detail about my communication with Bōte and how they gave me the run around. When my second video releases the horror stories continued has their management refused to call me, then refused my calls, and to top it off I had days.. DAYS!!!… worth of my time taken from me by their support staff giving me the run around with shipping. Just bc you’ve been doing something for ten years doesn’t make you the expert.
@@andrewlongron Inflatables aren't perfect, they take some user-know how. I watched your video and it really seems that you are showcasing a rare situation that is blown out of proportion due to your inexperience with inflatables. Aside from that - I find your story with their customer service hard to believe. Even after receiving my board in perfect condition, they were were helpful and even generous enough in their warranty / return policy to offer returning my purchase and using it towards an upgraded model. You are showing only one side of the story and painting the people at Bote's customer service department in a very negative light, so it should be known that there are also examples of good customer service there as well. And as far as board quality goes, you pay for what you get. Bote is expensive, but it is worth it. At least Bote has a support team...compare it to a manufacturer like Tower or Hobie
@@douglowry7382 I've been meaning to post an update...I love it as well up until when I popped the outer layer just 4 months in. Granted, it was from dropping a ~20lb battery, but that should never break an inflatable. The problem i found with the rackham was the outer layer construction is very vulnerable, but the core layer is well protected. I still took the rackham, with an uninflated outer layer, out with my 100lb trolling motor and worked fine. For some perspective though, my Tower SUP (half the price and with no bells and whistles), lasted 10 years with much heavier abuse, only succumbing to an extreme heat wave in Texas from epoxy seams melting
Well lol I apologize if my sense of humor denounces my ability to accurately explain any issues I had with this product. Granted I know it’s cheesy but I made it two years ago and just haven’t had time to redo it.
You do realize that every boat with a small outboard that is a 2 stroke, you have to mix your own oil right?… I’m 5 minutes in, and you’re mad at FedEx, and then mad that you have to mix your own oil… none of this is Botes fault
And I realize you did not watch my video or you weren’t paying attention. They sent me the wrong tracking for some one else’s order, not once but twice. And I stated in my video the tracking errors was on FedEx but them sending me the incorrect tracking was them. To add this is not a 2stroke engine, this is a 4 stroke engine. I was not talking about the fuel mixture, I was talking about the actual amount of engine oil the reservoir neededed.
We've had ours for 3 years. we have a mercury 6HP on it or the 30lb Minkota trolling motor. Knock on wood it has been solid! We fish Bass on lakes and she has been solid. Our son has used it with 2 of his friends to lake fish. 1 on the bow, 1 in the cockpit, and 1 behind the trolling motor. 100% spot on in the staining. Blood will stain it. We garage store it, and if it's outside, it's always under a tree and not in direct sunlight. come winter, semi deflated and stored inside. Would love for Bote to have multiple mounting sites for the sand spear, as it will pivot depending on wind.
Thank you for detailed explaining the safety issues. You saved me!
You’re welcome!
Thanks for the review. I’ve actually considered this skiff. I definitely will be looking at others
Thanks for the honest review. I bought a Bote Aero used for a good price. I haven't had a chance to really look it over good yet, but I'll make sure to look out for things you pointed out. I wanted to have something I could easily take around on family road trips. We'll have to see how things work out for me. I luckily have a friend that owns a shop and carries Bote products.
Exactly why I got that one! I did a review on the Gatorshell too bc my experience wasn’t much better
@@andrewlongron I just watched that too. It's unfortunate the quality is not so great. Their design looks more appealing to the eye than competitors. A friend of mine has been happen with Solo Skiff. He end up buying a second one. Do you have any idea what direction you're planning to go for another vessel?
@@TomyTekOutdoors for the money I went ahead and went with a 2018 pro skiff 16. I got it for $12,500. Florida has a ton of true micro skiff and I honestly think if you are upgrading from a kayak but don’t want a big boat. Just get a small skiff. I’m on a three week road trip now with it, and it’s the best decision I made.
I appreciate you posting this video. I saw a bote is selling these for over half off on their website right now. I was tempted, but now I understand why.
thank you for your review and looking out for the consumer 👍
Not all heroes wear capes, I had been looking at a Bote Lono Aero Inflatable Kayak and couldn't find much independent info on it. At the price point it was worth looking into at the very least
Thanks for the review!!! I been doing some research, and this has made me look else where!!!
That was the intention! Just trying to inform the public!
I’ve had mine for about three years and must be a lucky one, have had no issues and left it in the back of my truck deflated for about six months. Hidea is ass and I went with a Nissan 8hp two stroke….20-22mph with it loaded. Still going strong and use it quite often. Btw their electric pump is garbage and the bag the board comes with as well.
Really good review homie. Good job on implementing the safety issues of their products. Still sucks that we had to go through this crap.
As a kayaker I feel like we have to be so much more aware of saftey concerns than people realize and it’s disheartening that it’s not talked about more. And thank you!
Number two is now live!!! Took me forever to get it done
I just have a bote paddle board and it’s lasted three seasons so far and I take it out in WNY winters and summers. I store it inflated inside.
I just bought the same one, electric motor is 30lbs lighter than the 46 pound motor. I prefer 40lbs of battery anyhow. Get a 5 chamber Isle 12’6 if you want to load up 150lbs.
getting a hoodoo hero. Thanks for your review.
No problem! Trust me I wanted one of these to work. Unfortunately not the case
I got this one 1month ago. totally same color with yours. I don't have any problems so far, but who knows
The biggest mistake I've made was buying a aero rover doesn't plane I've had 6 seam blowouts bote didn't want to fix the first one so didn't waste my time on the rest. The bag didn't make the 2nd trip I ended up using a big hockey bag. There selling Chinese crap as a name brand top self product. The bote aero is only worth the price if you can get it at 500 bucks or less. Good review tho
It’s insane, and I got the hardshell next and my horror story has continued. Video to come 🙄
thanks for the info. I’m looking for a something to get out on the water with as a young college grad who can’t afford much. What did you end up replacing the rocer with
@@thegrazingapprentice so I got the hardshell but ended up sending that back too. A few options I’m looking at are the Flycraft two person series or Neptv makes a sick little setup and will ship to the US !
@@andrewlongron
How do you think this could compare to the seaeagle FishSup 126??
this is a little more robust in the fact that compared to that SUP this is made for a full outboard motor
This is why I went with the Hobie brand instead of an unproven one. I'd rather pay the brand name penalty instead of being some companies beta tester.
I have a hobie outback! Lol and before that I had a pro angler. Just can’t handle the Texas heat like I use to and my days to fish are getting further apart. Was trying to get something to allow me to move around a little bit. The hard shell wasn’t much better
@@andrewlongron How about a Suzuki DF2.5 mounted to outback? 5year saltwater warranty on motor. I rigged one up for my outback.
Crazy , me and my wife love our aero breeze paddle boards from them 😮
I love mine too, but they also aren't being marketed as boats.
Add gear weight and fish does not increase the psi. Only temp will. Whether your truck is jacked up or on the ground the pressure is the same in the tire.
sorry but i am thinking of buying it and i live in Scotland. did it brake because it was hot??
Poor building materials but the heat had a lot to do with it!
thank you@@andrewlongron
Not just the Aero Rover, my Aero HD had a major 26" seam blow out after one use! Never again!
Bote has/had the worst customer service ever. Warranty claim? Forget it. They claimed they were out of stock on the inflatable seats for over a year, but still sold the complete kayaks. Big liars. Company is now sold, but I still hear lots of complaints.
Dude this is one of the best product reviews I’ve ever seen. You just saved me a few hundred bucks and likely hours of aggravation. Not going to lie, I kinda felt let down by my last peddle yack and the schilling done on that product. If your ever in central Fla and want to slay some snook, I’ll hook you up for the save. Keep Slaying!
Just trying to keep people informed! I’m out that way a few times a year! Which part!
When comes to kayaks, Hobie, Jackson, and native when it comes to peddle drives!
And fyi, I got the hardshell after that and the story got worse
@@andrewlongron Melbourne Beach/Sebastian. Hammering snook, reds, trout, drum, sheeps, ect. I’m an inshore guy. I had the Hobie passport, and while everyone’s situation is different, I found between loading and unloading, lugging from spot to spot then getting the gear and everything else situated, and the fact I fish waters that have dramatic depth changes from super shallow and skinny to deep, it was too much fing around. If I took it out in the ocean it likely would have been legit. I only feel sea fish the gulf side and Keys. Bro I too have a heat tolerance from being on roofs all day every day. I don’t want to struggle doing something I should be enjoying. I traded it straight up for a 2013 gheenoe and trailer. Front mounted a trolling motor and strapped on a 9.9. I can fish anything. I also have a Jon boat with swamp motor for hunting. Thing can run literally on nothing. The offer is no joke. Dude I’d love to see a follow up on the hard shell.
*I only deep sea fish the gulf side and the keys.
@@andrewlongron you gotta tell that story too lol
Sorry you had to learn the hard way on this. Sounds like a very aggravating experience. I remember seeing this up close when West Marine had them in store a couple years ago. They put them them on a fire sale in August 2020 for $700, and I did go to my local store fully intending to buy one. I talked to the guy at the store and he said the return rate was over 50%. Nothing but problems, hence the fire sale. I passed on the deal. This is the kind of thing that seems like a good idea at first. It seems to check all the boxes for a certain niche use. But the more you think it about, the more you realize its just an insanely overpriced pool float.
The hard shell isn’t much better and my horror story has continued. Video to come.
@@andrewlongron The hard shell never made sense to me. Its too big, heavy, and complicated to launch off the back of a truck from the side of the road more than a few times. You will end up getting a trailer, and for that you mind as well get a Gheenoe, other microskiff, or jon boat that offers more features, capacity, and so forth, for really not a whole lot more money. I get that Bote is trying to offer something modern and cool, but at the end of the day its a huge step backwards. I have yet to hear of an owner of the Bote Rover hard shell that held on to it for more than a year. This goes from super pumped to put it on craigslist after just a few uses.
@@KungPowEnterFist you are not wrong on any of those points, what is annoying is they promote it as a truck bed skiff but then don’t even make a cart for it? And the material is very easily scratched unless you are in pure sand. Otherwise you have to be basically right in the water to launch.
@@andrewlongron To even have a chance to be a "truck bed skiff," you can forget about a 10HP outboard. Too heavy, period, end of story. Even with the lightest 6HP (Zuke), this is still going to be quite heavy and cumbersome with the outboard mounted. You will end up having to assemble it all at the shoreline or ramp. This adds a lot of work in the field and invariably more wear and tear on the outboard, motor rack, etc. Plus all the other stuff you need to assemble/mount/load only while the board is on the ground. IMO, for fishing specifically, a Gheenoe or jon boat blows this thing away. Outboards are for travelling. Trolling motors are for fishing. You can't have both on the Rover, and that is its biggest flaw.
I bought one of those $700 specials at WM Galveston, back in 2020, I wouldn't have pulled the trigger at full price. Still going strong, the only issue I have is windage due to the high profile, I do think some manufacturing batches could be duds, but I haven't seen any of the problems described here. I do have an epropulsion outboard which I think makes a difference, so no gas or heat generation issues
I was initially very keen on installment plan but decided not to as it could be a case of their failed products n they came up with installment to attract more customers...Infact all along reviews has been negative by many users seems like nothing has been done n selling same old design from very first launch
Sea eagle is the way to go they have the best of everything there based in the states
Well shit!BTW, nice detailed breakdown review. 👌
Bruh I’ve had hell these last few weeks lol
Thank you
Huh. Youre moving closer and closer to buying a boat, but having boat problems!
Five months ago I commented I still love mine
Thank you!
Botes are pretty… that’s it. Halagear makes strongest boards. They are meant for rivers. Red also makes a very durable board. NOT BOTE
The Bote Rover seems to have been a big mistake from the company as I don’t see these complaints for their regular paddle boards and kayaks. Bote definitely either didn’t understand what they were making or didn’t test it enough. It also seems incredibly lazy that they slightly modified their existing Rackham design rather than making an entirely new platform.
This has been the best explanation I have heard!
What was wrong with the Rackham?
Your dog senses something in your area
SEA EAGLE RULES!!!
damn sorry buddy... try Westmarine rip 310 boat and 9.9hp motor... or 6 hp... i think you gonna love it... 👍👍... you spent your money for your hobby now end up with frustrated... it's no good... 🙏🙏🙏
Hidea is a knock off Yamaha kicker motor. Look up Yamaha for parts for it. I have two of their 9.9 motorsand have found everything I've needed.
Damn!! Sucks, was thinking about getting this 😩
Seems like this all sums up to poor quality materials and only buy if you live in colder area that you don’t sweat in your own garage😂😂
You're problem is with the motor - nothing to do with BOTE's inflatable paddleboard products. I'm pretty sure they have the industry standard for inflatables...if anyone wants some advice from someone whose been paddleboarding for 10 years, the BOTE Rackham is probably the best product I've ever had touch the water. I know you stated it wasn't a bashing video, but it is pretty clear that is not the case and you should be more explicit in delineating BOTE from the motor manufacturer. If you had issues - did you even try contacting BOTE through tech support? When setting up my new board from them they were extremely helpful with online chat and email communication.
Vinny you obviously didn’t watch my video bc the motor was such a minute portion of it. I went into detail about my communication with Bōte and how they gave me the run around. When my second video releases the horror stories continued has their management refused to call me, then refused my calls, and to top it off I had days.. DAYS!!!… worth of my time taken from me by their support staff giving me the run around with shipping. Just bc you’ve been doing something for ten years doesn’t make you the expert.
@@andrewlongron Inflatables aren't perfect, they take some user-know how. I watched your video and it really seems that you are showcasing a rare situation that is blown out of proportion due to your inexperience with inflatables. Aside from that - I find your story with their customer service hard to believe. Even after receiving my board in perfect condition, they were were helpful and even generous enough in their warranty / return policy to offer returning my purchase and using it towards an upgraded model. You are showing only one side of the story and painting the people at Bote's customer service department in a very negative light, so it should be known that there are also examples of good customer service there as well. And as far as board quality goes, you pay for what you get. Bote is expensive, but it is worth it. At least Bote has a support team...compare it to a manufacturer like Tower or Hobie
I’m glad to hear that about the Rackham. I bought one and love it, but it’s only been out 4-5 times.
@@douglowry7382 I've been meaning to post an update...I love it as well up until when I popped the outer layer just 4 months in. Granted, it was from dropping a ~20lb battery, but that should never break an inflatable. The problem i found with the rackham was the outer layer construction is very vulnerable, but the core layer is well protected. I still took the rackham, with an uninflated outer layer, out with my 100lb trolling motor and worked fine. For some perspective though, my Tower SUP (half the price and with no bells and whistles), lasted 10 years with much heavier abuse, only succumbing to an extreme heat wave in Texas from epoxy seams melting
@@vinny8532Did you happen to look at the comment you left before that? It looks like you had a complete change of heart.
Are these made in China?
yes they are
I couldn’t get past your intro… It’s impossible for me to take anything you say seriously.
Well lol I apologize if my sense of humor denounces my ability to accurately explain any issues I had with this product. Granted I know it’s cheesy but I made it two years ago and just haven’t had time to redo it.
Nit picky drama queen.
You do realize that every boat with a small outboard that is a 2 stroke, you have to mix your own oil right?…
I’m 5 minutes in, and you’re mad at FedEx, and then mad that you have to mix your own oil… none of this is Botes fault
And I realize you did not watch my video or you weren’t paying attention.
They sent me the wrong tracking for some one else’s order, not once but twice. And I stated in my video the tracking errors was on FedEx but them sending me the incorrect tracking was them.
To add this is not a 2stroke engine, this is a 4 stroke engine. I was not talking about the fuel mixture, I was talking about the actual amount of engine oil the reservoir neededed.
awesome review!! you should be able to get your money back no questions.
It definitely was full of questions lol