It’s no BS: there’s a floating mechanical bull riding up and down the Pinellas County coastline. Bullship, as it’s called, made its debut this spring and has quickly garnered a curious and energetic following.
While we have some questions about the whole electricity and water thing, the idea is exactly as simple as it sounds. The owners custom-built a mechanical bull experience onto a boat (complete with an inflatable rodeo to soften your fall and keep you from falling off the boat. Every weekend, they take it out on the water, popping up north to south along the Gulf and welcoming adventurous beachgoers.
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Part of the fun, owners say, is that there’s no set location to find them every week. You can follow them for updates, but largely, the people hopping on for a ride had no idea their Saturday afternoon was going to include a mechanical bull floating over a sandbar.
For Memorial Day Weekend, you can find Bullship anchored at John’s Pass, welcoming riders on Saturday and Sunday. Beyond this weekend, you can hope for good luck, or follow them on facebook to get updates. They pop up everywhere from Sarasota to Clearwater to Tampa.
The Bullship is family-friendly, and the team behind the new experience emphasize that it was designed to be as safe as it is entertaining,
“Our mission is simple: to bring safe, unforgettable entertainment to the boating community through the first-of-its-kind floating mechanical bull experience,” the Bullship team says. “We created Bullship to deliver laughter, excitement, and the kind of moments that are just as fun for the spectators as they are for the brave participants who saddle up.”
Bullship is also available as a rental for private parties.
