My 3rd. Porta Bote

[Celestialsailor]

In many of the threads over the years there have been a lot of discussion about types of dinghy's. Inflatable vs hard, RIB vs roll up and so on. I'm the type of person that is usually looking for a good deal over time. Meaning...I'm cheap and would never pay $4k for an RIB. So based on "You get what you pay for", the inflatables I had in the (way) past have not held up. Their main advantage for me was stowability. I never thought them a hassle to take the 15-20 minutes to inflate...shorter if you had a better quality pump. I switched in the 90's to an 8ft. hard dinghy (Montgomery). It rowed well and could take a little kicker (2-3hp). to get me to shore. One day I had 50+ winds in Halfmoon Bay and had to get a tow back to my anchored boat. But hey, that is a rare occasion but it did get me thinking as I saw all the inflatables with there 6-15hp. outboards scream by me. Chugga, chugga..."I think I can, I think I can".
So the next variation to the water taxi was the Livingston 8ft. dink, with a 6hp., 4 stroke outboard. That thing would plane to scare the pants off you. I could go into a marina and keep up with all the others. I soon discovered by planning, I was saving fuel! It was basically a small catamaran and had the most stable platform I had ever experienced. I could step into the back corner of it while getting into the thing (not recommended) and felt really safe with it. The only thing I never liked about any hard tender was storing it on deck. Sure, I mastered the art of hoisting it with a halyard and carefully stowing on deck and tying it down. But the last concern I wanted to conquer was the nagging problem of not being able to see past it looking forward unless I climbed out of the safety of the cockpit to do a sweep while underway.
Hence starting my experience with the Porta-Bote. My friend had a 12 footer that was the original double ender. I tried it and it rowed reasonably well and I thought no one would steal it as it was ugly. I found a 10 footer double ender and could only put a little 1.2hp. game fisher outboard on it. But it did stow nicely on deck, up against the shrouds and I could see forward again! But with it, I was back to being slow again.

Before my 3 year trip in Mexico, I found (used) a 10 foot Porta-Bote with a transom(the new design). I put my 6hp. Tohatsu on it and was surprised that it planned also. To me, it was so long, I felt lost in it but I did love the thing and it wasn't nearly as ugly. Later on the 8 footer came out and I bought a (like new/used) one (today). Here it is. We'll see how it goes. They do not rate them by horse power but rather weight of the engine. So I may have to buy a (used) 2 stroke for it...stay tuned.

[sailingunity]

I bought a portabote on recommendation of the previous owner of my boat - he circumnavigated with it, so it had to be good.

Less expensive, more stowable and less hassle with punctured tubes - we found it not to work for our particular situation so we got a RIB in the end... I'm definitely not liking how heavy it is though.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by sailingunity

I bought a portabote on recommendation of the previous owner of my boat - he circumnavigated with it, so it had to be good.

Less expensive, more stowable and less hassle with punctured tubes - we found it not to work for our particular situation so we got a RIB in the end... I'm definitely not liking how heavy it is though.

That's the other thing for me is the weight. Most of my boats have been in the 34-38ft length. so i never wanted Davit. That meant wrestling anything I had on deck.

[smj]

After almost 30 years of dealing with many different inflatables and many different outboards we never found a perfect match. We purchased a 10’ PortaBote about 4 years ago and have never looked back. We use a 2.5hp Suzuki which will plane my wife if by herself and at some point I would love to put a 6hp on her to get the full experience. But as she is she’s light and easy to handle, and absolutely the driest dinghy we’ve owned.

[Mike OReilly]

I've had a 10' PB as my dinghy for must be close to 15 years now. It's been a great tender for our two cruising boats.

We carry our on our side deck, tied tight to the cabin. We store the seats in a heavy vinyl bag on the fordeck, tied against the forward cabin.

We (dis)assemble on the foredeck and launch/haul from there. It's all done by hand, so no need for lifting bridles or to fiddle with halyards.

I have a 3.5hp 4-stroke outboard which will easily plane our bote with one person in it (even one fat person ). In calm conditions it will plane my spouse and I. But we mostly just putt along at a slower pace when using the engine. Often we just row since the bote rows so well.

[Celestialsailor]

Hey Mike...I knew you would chime in at some point. I used these when I had my 10 footer to store it...
My new one is 8'6"s, folded. This time I may try storing it across my stern rail, inboard. It came with a very heavy duffel bag for the 2 seats and transom.

[rslifkin]

I've seen one boat in our marina carry a Porta Bote by folding it over the top of the lifelines and tying it down.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

Hey Mike...I knew you would chime in at some point. I used these when I had my 10 footer to store it...
My new one is 8'6"s, folded. This time I may try storing it across my stern rail, inboard. It came with a very heavy duffel bag for the 2 seats and transom.

Looks good. Here's how mine lays on the side deck. The second picture shows the black vinyl bag with the seats and transom.


(Ignore all the mess, and winter frame. We're trying to solve our winter cover problem.)

[Rumrace]

Great looking wee boats and awesome winter cover frame. One of the things I like about RIBs is they stick to the water then I run out of reasons to like them at all. I had one hard Dinghy hated it. My inflatable rolls up and fits under the wet seat can’t say that it’s any less work than a folding boat.

[hpeer]

I have a couple. My newest came with the silly folding transom. And I busted the transom in another. So I have replaced the factory transoms with plywood. My second go round I did a better design. Got the shaft a bit further aft which helps with clearance between the shaft and the keel.

[Cheechako]

Not that fond of the few experiences I have had with a Port a Bote, but I do think they are a very viable solution for the small boat owner. And they will do the job for you. You cant take a RIB or a hard dingy very well. An 8 ft hard dingy can be treacherous, been there done that. (broken ribs, flooded dingy, scarred up mother ship sides)
The longer PB can move along with minimal power. A rollup inflatable isn't bad. For the small boat owner I think the PB or the Rollup is the answer.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

(Ignore all the mess, and winter frame. We're trying to solve our winter cover problem.)

Being a former Canuck, there is only one way to solve the winter cover problem...Go south to where you start seeing palm trees. Replace the frame work with a hammock!

Originally Posted by hpeer

I have a couple. My newest came with the silly folding transom. And I busted the transom in another. So I have replaced the factory transoms with plywood. My second go round I did a better design. Got the shaft a bit further aft which helps with clearance between the shaft and the keel.

I saw that the newer ones have the folding transom. I would imagine that must increase the folding width. The one on this Genesis 8' is a one piece. How did you bust the transom on the other?

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Not that fond of the few experiences I have had with a Port a Bote, but I do think they are a very viable solution for the small boat owner. And they will do the job for you. You cant take a RIB or a hard dingy very well. An 8 ft hard dingy can be treacherous, been there done that. (broken ribs, flooded dingy, scarred up mother ship sides)
The longer PB can move along with minimal power. A rollup inflatable isn't bad. For the small boat owner I think the PB or the Rollup is the answer.

I do seem to remember having a few choice words going forward to relieve a snagged jib sheet on the dink where there was zero space where the bow of the dinghy fit forward...

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

I've seen one boat in our marina carry a Porta Bote by folding it over the top of the lifelines and tying it down.

Pretty smart idea!

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

Being a former Canuck, there is only one way to solve the winter cover problem...Go south to where you start seeing palm trees. Replace the frame work with a hammock!

Bahhh... warmth and easy-living is over-rated . Besides, there's still so much to explore up here in Newfoundland. Maybe in a few years... maybe.

[Rumrace]

They look real slick. The brown one introduced at the thread start looks fantastic. If I’m alive in 5 years I hope I remember cause I just bought a rib. I need a bigger boat for it now.
I’m still a Canuck and winging it on winter covers. Our trips down south have been by air. We’ve made two trips south by boat but not ours. The saltiest water our boat has been in is Rimouski in the St.Lawrence.
My previous boats were power and in covered slips for winter. Tarps there a few water bottles and your good. Walk on the ice to clean wax paint.
I do envy the escape to warm winters. We have 6 grandkids just couldn’t handle life without us that long. Besides the 15yr old is our vacation pilot.