We have the 12 foot portabote. I'm not home at the moment so I can't give you the actual length but just know that in 15 years I've only used one time, the first time. You don't need it for assembly. I use my hands and feet to open the portabote.
Porta-Bote did not ship my bote with the opener. I made mine from a diagram I found online. I cut mine from a piece of pressure treated 1x6. It measures 56" x 2.5".