Porta-bote haters: what's not to like?

[Happ]

Originally Posted by tpkas

How about winching the PB on davits? Have many cruisers done this? How did they do it and how successful was it?

Regards,

Brian

Some friends hoist theirs on davits when cruising locally. When going offshore they hoist it with a halyard onto the foredeck and disassemble it.

For me I find them difficult to get in them from a boat. My friends agree but for about $1,000 it’s hard not to want to believe in one. Personally I’ll stick to an inflatable.

[tpkas]

Thanks Happ,

I definitely want it to be on davits but I'm concerned that I'd have to remove the motor each time it's winched up hence my question.

Regards,

Brian

[Happ]

Originally Posted by tpkas

How about winching the PB on davits? Have many cruisers done this? How did they do it and how successful was it?

Regards,

Brian

Those I know remove the motor unless they are going to lower in the next day two regardless of the size of the motor.

[Happ]

Originally Posted by tpkas

Thanks Happ,

I definitely want it to be on davits but I'm concerned that I'd have to remove the motor each time it's winched up hence my question.

Regards,

Brian

You definitely want to remove the motor. The motor weigh close to what the boat weighs thus the boat is imbalanced when on the davits.

[smj]

Originally Posted by Happ

You definitely want to remove the motor. The motor weigh close to what the boat weighs thus the boat is imbalanced when on the davits.

Guess that depends on what size motor you use?

[tpkas]

Thanks Happ,

But if the transom is used as a davit attachment point then the weight of the motor is taken completely by the transom and the transom davit lines.

While on a passage I'd definitely remove the engine it's just that when anchored we winch our current dinghy up every night and I didn't want to have to remove the engine every night!

Brian

[tpkas]

Currently using an engine that weights 19kg which would be suitable for the Porta bote.

[Ike]

Hey Mike;

I can't believe this thread is still running. Up to 22 pages on my computer. I thought Porta Bote went the way of the dinosaur, but apparently not. BTW My wife and I lived in an RV from 2005 to 2021 and I saw a lot of PBs on the sides and tops of RV's. So the sailing community isn't the only one that likes them. Folded up they fit perfectly on the back or side of an RV.

Back a few eons ago (forgot the post number) someone mentioned that states may vary as to how they treat boat owners who exceed the numbers on the label. I have a whole column on my website about that.

Is it illegal to exceed the horsepower rating on my boat?

"Maybe; Why maybe? This is a gray area. The Federal regulation requires boat manufacturers to post a label with the recommended maximum safe horsepower for outboard powered boats. It only applies to mono-hull boats under 20 feet in length. Horsepower is determined using a formula contained in the regulation. Under Federal law a boat owner can put any size engine they want on their boat. However, the catch is, some states have passed laws making it a violation to exceed the values on the capacity label. Insurance companies also may cancel your insurance if they discover the boat has an engine that exceeds the horsepower rating. If you have an accident and an investigation shows it was related to overpowering then the owner could be held liable in a law suit by the injured parties."

How many states? I don't know. Is Florida one of them? Possibly. The two I do know are Pennsylvania and Idaho. They both cite people for exceeding the values on the label. They also cite people for not having a capacity label. I have also heard anecdotes about people being cited in Ohio for exceeding the HP rating. YMMV Check with your state Boating Law Administrator (Every State and Territory has one)

[Mike OReilly]

I still have our old PB. It's going on 18 years of seasonal service now. This is the previous generation of PB. I've heard the newest version might not be as good -- something to do with the integrated transom. But I still like ours, and haven't found a better option for our sailboat.