[MikeOReilly]

I've used a 10' bote as our dingy for going on 15 years. Works great for us (2 adults with occasional guests). I used this same bote with my 34' ketch.

Never used a 8' bote. My sense is that it would be ok for your needs, but will feel cramped with two on board. You won't be able to row with two on board, but a small outboard would work fine.

 

[MikeOReilly]

Just be aware that the older ones do not have the flotation band along with the new transom design and are notorious for submerging the outboard and going down at the transom. Once they get rainwater in them and the water line gets above the lower transom bolts the old design can leak rather badly. Folks who picked up an older one and leave it in the water get pretty good at flushing outboards and getting them running again.

You must get torrential rains Seastar. My boat is a great rain catcher, but the problem of lower bolt hole leaks is easily solved by replacing the outer gaskets that seal the lower holes. It's a 10-cent problem that takes 2 minutes to solve.

I have never had my bote sink, nor had to flush my outboard. My older one has floatation strapped to the inner bull. It cannot sink (I've tested mine). I do have to bail the bote out after a good rain though

 

[MikeOReilly]

Personally I would be looking for a used Alpha Series with the better flotation, improved transom and non-marking chine strips/rub rails that will be less prone to leaving black marks.

I'm sure you're correct about the rain issues down your way. I'll point out, the OP is located in the North Channel, Lake Huron, Great Lakes. We don't get those kinds of rains up here (at least, not normally).

And I agree, it would be better to get a new version than an old one. And I definitely think the 8' is going to feel small. I have the 10' version, but if I ever have to replace it, I would go with a 12' version.

 

[MikeOReilly]

Sounds good guys. A few things in line with the comments so far:

-I have no plans to leave the "bote" unfolded. It will be used just for the weekend sails and will be folded up and stored on deck when underway and while in my slip.

-I would love one of the newer ones, however after searching the used market I only found 1x 8' model for sale, and only 2x botes in general for sale in Ontario. The one I'm going to see is <1000$ asking, the others were 3000$+ asking price USED.

-I think in the long term future I agree the 10' model will be the sweet spot for my sailboat and needs, the 8' purchase is a "proof of concept". It will tell us if 8' is enough, if there's room on our sailboat deck to fit a bigger model, and if we even like the style of the tender in the first place. For less than 1\3rd the cost of new (and I don't plan to pay asking price for the used one, so cheaper even) it's an easy gamble. Plus living in a very small fishing\duck hunting town I know I can flip the 8ft model pretty easy.

Portabotes are hard to find on the used market; which gives you a good sense of their durability and usefulness. I agree with you Guy - get the best one you can. Like I said, I think the 8-footer will work for you, but it will feel cramped. The biggest negative for me would be you can't row it with two people on board (I can barely row with two on board my 10-footer). But for the price, it's probably a good choice.

&#8230; come to think of it, you might be able to paddle the bote with two people.

Keep on eye on boat show season. When I bought mine it was at a boat show, so I got the "boat show special price", which was something like 1/3rd off the list price.

 

[MikeOReilly]

Sounds good Guy. As long as the bote isn't leaking at the seams (which apparently can happen &#8230; I've only heard a few cases of this), it should be fine. A few scratches won't matter. They are pretty darn tough.

Jer, I have the sail rig with my 10' bote. Spent a few days playing around with it recently while anchored for a while. It's a very light rig; a toy really. It can only really manage winds up to around 10 knots, but it's still kinda fun.

http://helplink.com/CLAFC/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/IMGA0655_2.mp4

 

[MikeOReilly]

Depends on the definition of small. Porta-Botes are designed for a 2 to 6 hp motors for the most part. The 8' 6" for example specs out to a 36 lb max gas engine weight which would equate to a 2.3 hp perhaps 3 hp max while the largest Porta-Bote has a 56 lb max gas engine weight or 5 hp to a ultra light 6 hp yet I see people putting what they call small outboards in the 9 to 25 hp range pushing the boats beyond max hull speed, getting a lot of hull distortion and greatly overloading them. Anything over 6 hp usually weighs about 100 lbs or more dry and is definitely not appropriate for use on any Porta-Bote.

Its really easy to over power a Porta-Bote since all are rated for below 5/6 hp max.

Very true. The nice thing is, portabotes are fairly light, and the can get up on a plane pretty easily. With one adult on board I easily plane my 10' bote with my 3.5 hp Tohatsu. I can plane with two adults on board in ideal conditions. And I can slug the engine around without the need for a crane or halyards.

I can't imagine putting anything much bigger than a 6 hp. It would screw up the weight balance big time.