The Darkroom is BOTE's multi-layered rapid prototyping and production program, built around a hands-on approach to research and development. It exists to develop, refine and improve our products at a much faster pace, keeping BOTE at the front of innovation in the paddle sport industry. The Darkroom gives our engineers and product developers a working lab for testing advanced materials and production methods in a controlled environment.

Physically, the Darkroom takes up close to 15,000 sq. ft. of our Ft. Walton Beach corporate campus, filled with some of the latest computer-controlled machinery — headlined by an 18' 4-axis CNC mill and 3D plastic printers.

The Darkroom isn't just a space — it's a project with a purpose.

Design

Every new board that moves through the Darkroom starts as an idea shaped by necessity, curiosity, and customer feedback. Working in the latest CAD software, our lead designer explores and manipulates board shapes with extreme precision before anything is cut.

Materials

Inside the Darkroom we're constantly testing custom materials for our boards — always chasing something lighter, stronger, and more environmentally sustainable without giving up performance. We work closely with materials manufacturers to explore the strengths and weaknesses of different compositions and weaves.

Technology

The centerpiece of the Darkroom is the shaping machine: a 4-axis CNC mill with a 17' capacity, built in collaboration with Precision Shapers. It's equipped to handle every radical deck cutout, nose shape, and bottom contour we design, and with an accuracy of 1mm, there's practically no limit to the complexity of the shapes it can carve.

Lead Designer

Corey Cooper

Lead Designer — and an owner — at BOTE, Corey Cooper is a licensed engineer out of Auburn University. Corey pioneered the Darkroom, helping design the machinery, laying out the space, and building the workflow the program still runs on today. His passion for the project runs deep enough that, no matter how busy things get at BOTE, you'll usually find him working the floor of the Darkroom himself.

Darkroom Guru

Pete Buzzelli

Pete Buzzelli was brought on to direct and manage the program, arriving at BOTE after 40 years in the boat-building industry and seven years of SUP racing.

"The day Pete left his job to come to us, he texted me and said, 'After 40 years of working on boats I'm done!' I replied, 'Nope, now you are working on BOTES!'" — Corey Cooper

Rapid Prototyping

• Concept

  Every new board starts as an idea, born from necessity, curiosity, and customer feedback.

• CAD Design

  Advanced CAD software gives our lead designer precise control over every board shape.

• Carve

  A 4-axis CNC mill with a 17' capacity and 1mm accuracy carves rough shapes from foam blanks.

• Shape

  Each rough shape is hand-finished to perfection by our Darkroom crew.

• Lamination

  Foam blanks are laminated using the latest and highest-quality materials available.

• Finishing

  Every board is polished to perfection and put through rigorous quality assurance.