real world portland pudgy use

[TiPegleg]

My boat came with a well fitted out portland pudgy in davits. Initially I was pretty excited - I really like the concept of the pudgy as a "directional" life boat and the rotamolded construction makes a lot of sense for a work boat.

But... then the realities hit. It's small, the maximum motor is a 2.5hp, and the idea of fitting more than 2 people in it in a lifeboat situation isn't inspiring. The primary use of this dink is going to be a tender for a 42ft world cruiser and I'm suddenly less than inspired. This isn't going to blast 3-4 people over to a nice dive spot or haul 150lbs of groceries and 2 adults. Right?

That said, I've never used it! Right now I'm on the hard refitting and the pudgy is just hanging out.

So I need some real world advice, preferably from people who have used a pudgy or own one. Stick with it or go RIB/liferaft? I could probably sell this very well fitted out pudgy for about 60% of a refit so the money isn't really an issue.

[rslifkin]

I think the biggest thing is speed. If you don't mind it being slow, try it and see if you like it. If speed is a problem, you'll always hate it.

If you replace it, how big a dinghy do you think you can reasonably carry? If you can handle enough size, that may give some non-RIB options that would keep the durability of the Pudgy but would meet your other needs better.

[alctel]

The people who have them seem to love them. I was friends with someone with one, and he looked to have had a blast sailing around in it in the anchorage.

The main plus points to me are that it rows better than a rib (not hard), you can stick a sail rig on it and it's pretty indestructable.

To me the main con is the weight and the awkwardness.

I hate ribs, the fact they don't row at all well and you have to depend on having an outboard to move you isn't for me, way better to have a dinghy that takes a sail kit and/or rows well. I have a portabote which has the same plus points as the pudgy, except it folds up and is light enough for me to haul on/off deck singlehanded.

Definitely give the pudgy a go and see how you feel about it.

[Caleb_Grey]

Originally Posted by TiPegleg

My boat came with a well fitted out portland pudgy in davits. Initially I was pretty excited - I really like the concept of the pudgy as a "directional" life boat and the rotamolded construction makes a lot of sense for a work boat.

But... then the realities hit. It's small, the maximum motor is a 2.5hp, and the idea of fitting more than 2 people in it in a lifeboat situation isn't inspiring. The primary use of this dink is going to be a tender for a 42ft world cruiser and I'm suddenly less than inspired. This isn't going to blast 3-4 people over to a nice dive spot or haul 150lbs of groceries and 2 adults. Right?

That said, I've never used it! Right now I'm on the hard refitting and the pudgy is just hanging out.

So I need some real world advice, preferably from people who have used a pudgy or own one. Stick with it or go RIB/liferaft? I could probably sell this very well fitted out pudgy for about 60% of a refit so the money isn't really an issue.

Having 4 people in a traditional 4 person life raft isnt inspiring either.
Having 4 people in a 6-8 person life raft isnt either.
Life rafts suck.
Pudgy is coast guard rated for 4
As for carrying capacity :

The European Union’s consumer protection agency did a drop test of the Portland Pudgy, in which they filled the dinghy’s cockpit with one thousand pounds of rock, and dropped into the water from eight feet! The Pudgy just bounced up, didn’t ship water at all, and had plenty of freeboard.

As for blasting over to dive spots well, you could sail, or row, or get a 3hp electric outboard, and not have to worry about gas and maintenance on an big outboard.
And pudgy is a great diveboat, very easy to exit and enter, it wont tip over easily if at all.
Everything is a comprise.
If you are going to have 3-4 people needing transport all the time its probably too small, and a 10-12' rib is a better option.

https://youtu.be/RNyd9OKx1B8

[Chris Cringle]

I had never heard of the "Portland Pudgy" so I went to their website. I can't stop laughing.

[IRENE]

We have an AB 9.5 aluminum RIB, and a Pudgy with the sail kit and Torqueedo. We have only had Pudgy for a few months.

The RIB is fast, dry, comfortable, and requires almost no effort to use. We are frequently many miles from the anchorage exploring. It is very fuel efficient and easy to maintain, has lockable storage, and has a GPS/fathometer for guiding in the mothership. The rib is an appliance, and a good one.

The Pudgy was acquired for entertainment. It stays in the water, marina or anchorage. Easy to row, hop in and go. Torqueedo takes about 5 minutes to rig. Sail kit takes less than 10. Sailing around the anchorage is fun. All of it is activity, exercise, that I need…especially in the anchorage. It is a suitable tender for 2 plus anything we could carry to the dinghy dock and more. One of us could pick up another couple with luggage at the dinghy dock. It is a heavy pig to drag up a beach. The Pudgy is FUN. It makes me smile.

As mentioned, they are all a compromise. The Pudgy could easily serve as our primary tender. I recommend you try it as your primary tender, with an open mind. Nothing wrong with changing later…more memories for the nursing home.

Best Wishes

[SV__Grace]

Originally Posted by TiPegleg

My boat came with a well fitted out portland pudgy in davits. Initially I was pretty excited - I really like the concept of the pudgy as a "directional" life boat and the rotamolded construction makes a lot of sense for a work boat.
But... then the realities hit. It's small, the maximum motor is a 2.5hp, and the idea of fitting more than 2 people in it in a lifeboat situation isn't inspiring. The primary use of this dink is going to be a tender for a 42ft world cruiser and I'm suddenly less than inspired. This isn't going to blast 3-4 people over to a nice dive spot or haul 150lbs of groceries and 2 adults. Right?
That said, I've never used it! Right now I'm on the hard refitting and the pudgy is just hanging out.
So I need some real world advice, preferably from people who have used a pudgy or own one. Stick with it or go RIB/liferaft? I could probably sell this very well fitted out pudgy for about 60% of a refit so the money isn't really an issue.

We love our Portland Pudgy and have been cruising full time with it for 5 years. Some responses to your questions above-

1. Great dinghy for 2 people, I would get something bigger for 3 or more (we have transported 3-4 people on occasion; the boat is rated for @450lbs and seems to handle a bit more without a problem in settled conditions). The PP is 8 feet and mighty but a small dink. There are lots of new options on the market that are as good or better for more passengers.

2. Great lifeboat for 2 people for coastal cruising. For offshore or 3 or more people I would use a liferaft.

3. Great for getting anywhere you need to go but doesn't plane so "blasting" anywhere is not an option. As cruisers we LIKE to take our time.

4. Rows well and surprisingly stable. I've rowed against 3' waves/30 knot winds and while a workout the boat did well. I've motored in worse conditions and never worried about the boat capsizing.

5. Love the storage in the hull, accessed via waterproof hatches.

6. Love that we don't worry about damaging it. Many of our anchorages here in PNW have rocky beaches that I wouldn't dare use a RIB for landing on.

7. Love our Torqeedo electric outboard, 3hp equivalent that will push the Portland Pudgy to 7-8 knots if needed. With the extended range battery we've gone up to 10 miles without worrying about making it back to the boat and estimate we could go 15 miles if needed. The more power used, the faster the battery drain. We usually go 4-5 knots and use @5-6% for a 1/2 mile RT shore excursion. If you rely on a Torqeedo be sure to keep a spare shear pin, a screwdriver, and a socket wrench on board for on-the-spot fixes. This engine is light enough that we can keep it on while raising it onto our davits. We have a solar panel for it and will use it in the davits (or while in the water between uses) to charge up the battery.

8. When provisioning we've loaded up our Portland Pudgy many times with 100 lbs or more of stuff, including a folding wagon or heavy duty "granny cart" (we like this one rated for 280 lbs with this handle extender and these replacement wheels) supplemented with backpacks, without a problem (typically a full shoppingcart, including canned and bottled goods).

9. We love the PP sailkit and being able to fool around sailing around a harbor or anchorage when we like. Being a big, heavy cruiser we miss the fun of small boat sailing so appreciate this feature of our Portland Pudgy.

[Jim Cate]

Love our Torqeedo electric outboard, 3hp equivalent that will push the Portland Pudgy to 7-8 knots if needed.

How can one go ~2x hull speed without planing? And in a PP shaped hull? And with only 3 hp equiv?

Astonishing performance.

Jim

[SV__Grace]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

How can one go ~2x hull speed without planing? And in a PP shaped hull? And with only 3 hp equiv? Astonishing performance.Jim

I think it could get on a plane with enough hp but not designed for a heavy engine. I’m no expert and please correct me if I’m wrong but seems to me that displacement hulls have their speed tied to length and a dinghy doesn’t have a displacement hull. You CAN push a displacement hull faster with enough hp, I’ve seen that myself. We do “push” more water at 7 knots than 4.