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

[surf_km55]

Originally Posted by Jammer

.....What else? Bring it on...

I saw one get swamped in moderate ocean chop, then sink thanks to the weight of the outboard. IE, they SUCK.

[smj]

Originally Posted by surf_km55

I saw one get swamped in moderate ocean chop, then sink thanks to the weight of the outboard. IE, they SUCK.

Maybe not the fault of the Portabote, possibly the fault of the captain for towing it?

[surf_km55]

Originally Posted by smj

Maybe not the fault of the Portabote, possibly the fault of the captain for towing it?

Towing it? Ummm, no. Who said towing?

It was being operated by two people who lost everything from their trip ashore to provision. It would have been funny, had it not been so sad.

[Cpt Mark]

Originally Posted by Dooglas

Very sturdy, very stable, easy to board, unsinkable,

I have never seen a RIB that is unsinkable. Pop the tubes and down they go.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by smj

Maybe not the fault of the Portabote, possibly the fault of the captain for towing it?

Was it being towed? If so, then completely agree. Even if not being towed, sounds like operator error to me .

One of the reasons I went with a PB was to avoid having to tow. I dislike towing any dinghy. I’ve had previous rubber dinks flip over in high winds, or get swamped with a sudden downpour.

This is why I never like to tow anything. And it’s also one of the great benefits of a PB. Mine almost always is carried on the side deck, safely folded away.

My spouse and I assemble/disassemble our 10' PB in about 10-15 minutes working leisurely. I can do it solo, but it takes longer. And in an emergency we can assemble the bote a lot faster.

We do it on the foredeck, and our deck is not very big; ~9’ across at that point, and we even have a self-tacking staysail boom to avoid. But this poses no real problem.

[Cpt Mark]

Originally Posted by surf_km55

I saw one get swamped in moderate ocean chop, then sink thanks to the weight of the outboard. IE, they SUCK.

What you saw as a PB that had too big of an engine on it. If you stay within the mfr limits they cannot sink. Read my earlier post where I rescued a person, dragging them over the collapsing hull side, completely flooded to the gunnels and the motored the victim back to their boat and then motored back to mine.

Someone said you need 2 people for assembly. Had mine for over 10 years and never had help putting it together.

They have their plusses and minuses. You just need to decide which is best for you. Now I have a Walker Bay 10 and the hypalon tube kit which transforms it into a near RIB. Tubes are smaller diameter so not quite as stable I would think. Haven't put them on yet.

[surf_km55]

Originally Posted by Cpt Mark

I have never seen a RIB that is unsinkable. Pop the tubes and down they go.

The Titanic was unsinkable, yet there it sits on the bottom of the sea. Everything can be sunk by some mechanism, but to see an UNDAMAGED dinghy go down as a result of moderate ocean chop with 2 people and their provisions is an event I recommend every Portabote espousing proponent witness 1st hand.

[Beersmith]

I bought a brand new 10' Porta Bote for $2,000 on sale. Whoever said that is comparable to a good RIB price is not correct, find me a brand new quality RIB for $2000, I'm not sure one exists.

I have a 38' Cutter with a staysail boom, a 10' RIB would only fit on the bow deflated. The Porta Bote fits easily on the sides of the boat, so there is a distinct advantage to stowing it without having to invest in davits.

[Beersmith]

Originally Posted by mjgill1

Here's one of the best reviews of the PB I have seen. To see them enter the boat from the water, skip to 20.:25. But really, they do a great break down of how they use it, abuse it and how it holds up.

I purchased my Porta Bote due to their videos, they are some of my favorite voyagers

[smj]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Was it being towed? If so, then completely agree. Even if not being towed, sounds like operator error to me .



One of the reasons I went with a PB was to avoid having to tow. I dislike towing any dinghy. I’ve had previous rubber dinks flip over in high winds, or get swamped with a sudden downpour.



This is why I never like to tow anything. And it’s also one of the great benefits of a PB. Mine almost always is carried on the side deck, safely folded away.



My spouse and I assemble/disassemble our 10' PB in about 10-15 minutes working leisurely. I can do it solo, but it takes longer. And in an emergency we can assemble the bote a lot faster.



We do it on the foredeck, and our deck is not very big; ~9’ across at that point, and we even have a self-tacking staysail boom to avoid. But this poses no real problem.

The Portabote has always been intriguing to me so tomorrow I’m going to look at a used 10’er that’s for sale. Of course your write ups on your Portabote experiences has helped me with my decision making!

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by smj

The Portabote has always been intriguing to me so tomorrow I’m going to look at a used 10’er that’s for sale. Of course your write ups on your Portabote experiences has helped me with my decision making!

That’s kind of you to say SMJ . Hopefully you can get in and take it for a spin. They’re not for everyone. If you’re not used to small boats like canoes or kayaks, they will feel odd.

Good luck . Happy to share what I know (both good and bad).

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Nice modification Skip. My factory oar locks are still going strong, but I’ve read it is another common failure, nor are they the best. But so far mine seem OK.

With regard to outboard size, my bote (the Genesis IV model) specifies a max. weight, not HP. I just looked at the online specs and this is what they list there as well.

It’s unfortunate to hear about poor customer service. I had an excellent experience with both the main office and the Canadian distributor, but this was over 15 years ago. I’ve had zero contact since then.

They have some kind of problem with rating the PB for HP. I did eventually get their recommendations in an email. 10-12’ is 6hp, 14’ is more, maybe 10hp.

As noted above they are a bit shady in their advertising. They state the PB HULL weight minus the seats and transom. NOT the total weight. It’s in the words of you hire a lawyer to sort it out. A couple of other little things like that turn me off. I STiLL love the product. No need to be misleading. Probably actually hurts sales.

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by surf_km55

Everything can be sunk by some mechanism

Pretty clear the mechanism there was too heavy an outboard.

Your story's object lesson is twofold

1. If you buy a PB don't use too heavy an outboard

2. If you feel you need that heavy an outboard, do not buy a PB.

It certainly does not support your unqualified overgeneralization.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by hpeer

They have some kind of problem with rating the PB for HP. I did eventually get their recommendations in an email. 10-12’ is 6hp, 14’ is more, maybe 10hp.

As noted above they are a bit shady in their advertising. They state the PB HULL weight minus the seats and transom. NOT the total weight. It’s in the words of you hire a lawyer to sort it out. A couple of other little things like that turn me off. I STiLL love the product. No need to be misleading. Probably actually hurts sales.

Completely agree. It’s odd they only list hull weight without all the seats and transom. I can see listing both, but to omit the total weight is silly, and unnecessary.

The whole outboard weight thing… I guess OB weight is more static? Just seems to make it more difficult for buyers since most people buy OB’s based on power, not weight.

The main PB site also doesn’t list prices. You can find prices at the Canadian distributor site, but to get prices off the main site you have to request a "FREE INFO Price Pack”. Maybe this is b/c most botes are sold below the suggested retail price? I know I got mine via a “boat show special” that was 1/3 less the retail price at the time.

[john61ct]

I agree total transparency is the best marketing strategy these days.

Most marketeers unfortunately don't get it, anything less causes sophisticated prospects to just move on to the many other choices out there.

And those are the ones you want most as champions of your brand.