portaboat

[Rodney Sheaffer]

Is a portaboat werth considering getting. would like pro and cons.

[928frenzy]

I''ve had a 10''6" Porta-Bote for three years. I like the fact it''s vitrually indistructable, can be stored neatly in a space that equals its length and heigt plus 4" for width, takes about 10 minutes to put together (and about 5 minutes to take apart), has a large area for gear, can carry three adults, is easy to row, and will easily plane with a 4HP engine. The down sides are: it''s not easy to get in and out of (especially if you''re coming in from the water), and it feels soft underfoot. BTW, another plus is its relatively low cost. In my case, I paid less for my new Porta-bote with a 4HP motor than I would have paid for an inflatable without a motor.

~ Happy trails and sails to you ~ _/) ~

[marcberoz]

I just bought an 8" portabote for use with my 26'' sailboat. Putting it together the 1st few times was a PITA, but is getting exponentially easier as it gets broken in thru use. I find it very stable getting into & out of. Towed it for about 40 miles & behaved well. Don''t have a motor. Rowing is effective with 2 onboard.
Marc

[Glewis]

I have had a Port a Boat now for about four years and it is a toss up.Several things to consider.
1. It does not tow well, mine has swamped 3 times in comparitively mild conditions.
2. Carrying it aboard is an OK method but if you fold it, storing the seats and transom board is a PA on a 32 footer.
3. I do like its free board and stability.
All things considered, I would revert to a large pontoon rubber boat if I were to buy a new tender.

[paulmcquillan]

We have very rocky coastlines on the islands we visit. Our porta-bote is just about indistructible in those conditions. inflatables don't last long doing beach landings here.

the 16 or 13 year old usually put it together.

[WHOOSH]

Frenzy, just as with picking a Mother Ship, the 'pros & cons' can vary quite a bit depending on how (and how often) you plan to use the boat. There's an excellent post on using a Portaboat on the SSCA Discussion Board tho' it is slanted to full-time use as a cruising dinghy; you might find it useful to you.

http://www.ssca.org/sscabb/index.php...=1196&page=0#2

This dinghy choice reminds me of a bi-polar distribution (if that rings a bell for any economists or statisticians in the group). Most dinks are a compromise wherein their construction and functionality meet most needs pretty well, and they suffer from few extremes. Portaboats seem bi-polar; their pros (e.g. well wearing hull material and stowed dimensions) stand well above the other choices while their cons (longevity of the bits & pieces or rigging one on the deck of a smaller boat) are near the bottom.

Choosing the 'right' dinghy is even harder than choosing the right Mother Ship, I think.

Jack

[sailingdog]

I've got a porta-bote that I've used for a fishing boat, and now am using as a dinghy for my sailboat. I love the strength and stability of the boat, as well as how compactly it stores. They also row quite well, and handle rough water and rocky shores better than many other dinghies I've used or ridden in.

I've made a few modifications to the boat, to make it more usable.

I've got an older one, that has the wooden transom... which is more durable than the newer plastic one from what I've heard. I'm planning on fiberglassing the wood this spring, to make it a bit more durable.

I'm also going to be making replacement benches, out of fiberglass, to replace the plastic ones.

I've also added a few eyebolts to the boats, for the painter and anchor lines.

Any questions, drop me a message.

[sigiwitt]

I'm planing to buy a 12ft. portaboat for fishing in baja california, cortes sea. at times, it can be very windy there. how does the boat perform in rough water compared to a alu or rubberboat?

[sailingdog]

The Porta-Bote is probably better for fishing than any inflatable...and probably give most aluminum boats a run for their money. They move quite well under power, and row fairly well, especially the longer ones.

I'd also agree that the wooden transom is a bit better than the plastic one from what I've seen...I have the wooden one. I also plan to fiberglass/epoxy the transom and build wooden benches as well.

[foxglove]

We have a Portabote on our 32 footer. We store it and the transom folded and lashed to the stantions. If we tow it, I tow it close astern and haul the bow out of the water so that it won't swamp.