Visit our Popular Forums

ShaktisBoy · 17-07-2013, 07:17

Nice mod on an outstanding choice for a tender. We to have ditched the RIB in favor of a 10 foot Port-Bote simply for all of the hassles associated with the rib. We have extensively modded ours as well with the biggest improvement being adding a automatic bilge pump supplied by a 12 volt motorcycle battery that is trickle charged by a solar panel. We also added floors and a homemade Bimini top to complete the package. This does require a bit more setup time if we fold her on the aft deck but the basic boat can still be set up in 5 minutes or less. There are plenty of people who will say Porta-Botes are not a proper tender, they are dangerous on anything but a pond bla bla bla. Fact is opinions are like aholes everyone has one. I have run the porta-bote in 35+ knots wind and 3+ feet of chop. I have had it in the ocean in much larger swells scuba diving. Like any small boat in those conditions you have to be careful. Some of the Porta's more glaring shortcomings are the boat will not keep an outboard above water if it is swamped. it will still float but the engine is getting wet. There are some owners who have had the rear bladder fail and the only fix seems to be some special tape supplied by Porta-Bote unless you are under warranty where they will replace or repair it. On davits you need to make sure it is covered or has an automatic bilge to keep it from becoming a hanging swimming pool and possibly damaging your davits. The seats are black and absorb heat like a griddle, so I added canvas seat covers. The biggest positives for us are it is rugged and you will really have to work at it to damage one. It is a true cargo hauler with almost triple the room of our 10 foot avon RIB. Another mod I did addresses the swamped boat issue. I made a inner transom with a foam core to keep the outboard above water in the event the boat is swamped and the bilge pump fails.A future mod I am planning is a sail kit similar to the one below. Looks like it would be fun just messing around in the harbor. We feel the benefits of the Porta far out weigh any negatives and after several years with this choice we are more than satisfied.

Here is our Porta so far.

Here is a pic of one of the Porta owners groups boat that I intend to copy in the not to distant future
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...1&d=1374069936

SecondBase · 19-07-2013, 19:58

From an experienced point of view, how would you say cargo and seating capacity compare to a walker bay 10?

MIDGET · 21-07-2013, 02:58

Vids, Vivid?!

ShaktisBoy · 22-07-2013, 21:09

I weigh 220 pounds, My wife 120 pounds. Two of us plus 2 weeks of groceries plus Laundry plus two laptop bags. In addition 4 type 2 life vest, a 5 gallon gas tank two oars, and a medium size battery box & solar panel. In short it will carry much more and still have a bit of room for your feet.