ST. PETERSBURG, FL — BOTE, a brand of inflatable stand-up paddle boards, kayaks, portable docks, has opened a store in St. Petersburg.

Its grand-opening occurred Nov. 11 at the Dr. MLK Street North location. Brian Edwards, general manager, told Patch he is currently making connections with the community and other businesses. "We're thinking of ideas to bring paddle board lovers and boaters together. We also want to introduce people who have never been on a paddle board by hosting demo rides."

Kriss King, assistant manager, told Patch in addition to having inflatable versions of docks, boats and paddle boards, they do have hard shell paddleboards. Most of their equipment makes it easy for apartment residents to have the benefits of owning a watercraft that doesn't take up much. Following the use of an inflatable watercraft, it can be deflated and folded away in its large bag or case. After it's folded up, it can fit in the backseat of your car or trunk.

Kayaks and paddleboards in the store are available in different sizes and prices. Kayaks are generally not available in hard shell at BOTE. King said the material inflatables are made from is sturdy.

"The Zeppelin is in our inflatable kayak category but is a pontoon style," King said. "It's the only boat here that can become a tandem—that means you can put two people in—you can have two seats, although the seats are a little hard to come by right now because of production issues."

The weight capacity of the Zeppelin is 600 pounds, and a manual pump is included. King said it could take about 30 minutes to inflate a Zeppelin with an electric pump, but with a manual pump it would take longer. Paddle boards can take less time to inflate. A staff member told Patch it takes him about 15 minutes to inflate his Breeze paddle board.

One of the kayaks inside BOTE has a pedal board. Inflatable yoga mats are available, and also inflatable docks that can go in the water near the boat can be purchased. King and Edwards are planning future community events such as a dedicated weekend day to taking customers out paddleboarding, and possibly yoga on the water classes.

If you want a beer while boat shopping or just want to have conversations with other water lovers over a drink, a bar is inside BOTE. They will serve beer once their liquor license is complete.

BOTE, 2401 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N., St. Petersburg is open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit their website here. Other BOTE locations include Destin, Fort Walton Beach and Grayton Beach.