[Guyfromthenorth]

Hey everyone,

Looking for experiences with the porta-bote 8ft model. I need a dinghy for my Mirage 33 and I've been getting more and more sold on folding boats. I'm tired of leaks and the weight\size of inflatables, we also land at alot of cobble beaches and have already popped a few balloons.. I don't have room nor want to tow a solid body tender. I have a 3hp honda outboard already with a built in gas tank.

I'm 6ft 4in so ANY tender\dinghy will be a squeeze. I just need a boat that can load me, 1 other adult, and a backpack or two at a time to get to shore. Will the portabote 8ft meet that for me or is it a 1 person dinghy? Never seen one in person to get a handle on its scale, youtube videos have only been so helpful.

 

[Guyfromthenorth]

Never had an 8-6 model, we use a 10'er on our 33' cutter. That handles our needs well. We are "robust" folks totally over 400# between us. And even with that we carry some cargo and a 8hp motor.

Why the smaller one? We fit ours on our port rail for passages. But I've been towing it more and more. I towed it about 400 miles this season.

Two reasons really:
1) Space\size. Although it's not just that the 8ft model is shorter overall, but it also has 1 less seat to stow. This is purely for moving me+1 person at a time with light gear from the anchor to the shore on the great lakes (no ocean play yet).
2) Cost\availability. The cost of a new one is way way way outside my current dinghy budget (we are weekend sailors..during june\july\august only, thanks winter). Used models are hard to find in my area but I just came across an 8ft model for sale on the used market through a friend. It's just that this friend of a friend is a 5hr drive from me so I can't just hop down the street to have a look.

 

[Guyfromthenorth]

Thanks for the endorsements, I've heard good things out there as well.

I measured out 9ft~ on the floor (I believe tip of the bow to back of the transom is 9ft and an inch or so) and it feels like it would fit 2 adults although tight. Like I said, no plans to make this a dinghy for shooting around breakwaters or in rolling anchorages of the Caribbean, just a good way to get to shore for campfires on the great lakes, even if it's 1 passenger at a time.

 

[Guyfromthenorth]

Just purchased my second 8 foot Porta Bote. Previous one lasted 16 years and developed a small leak I was too lazy to try and track down. I donated it to a Sea School and it is still in use today. The new one I bought is 12 pounds heavier due to the new transom being built into the boat. I still like the lighter older one I had as it was easier to handle and carry by myself. i could carry it under my arm. With the new one I need a hand truck to carry it off the dock. Still think they are great boats though.

Thanks! I did some measuring and my current 10ft inflatable has the same useable space as the 8ft PB so I think the size will work. If all goes well I'll go see it Wednesday.

 

[Guyfromthenorth]

We have an 8' model. We have packed myself, my wife, 2 folding bikes, a bag of garbage, stuff for showers, and some misc items in it at one time. Should work fine for your use.

Lol good to know!

 

[Guyfromthenorth]

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 nooutboards and getting them running again.

Sounds about right. The one I'm going to see has the foam floats on the hull but has the 1 piece transom (from what I can tell). It seems like most parts as far I can see are repairable or replaceable as it ages other than replacing entire hull panels of course.

 

[Guyfromthenorth]

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.

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.

 

[Guyfromthenorth]

So I went and saw the PB yesterday (10hr round trip). As per the usual with Kijiji the pictures posted in the ad were NOT pictures of his boat. They weren't even stock pics of a new boat, they were stolen from a different ad or google of someone else's used boat, and they were white (his was green), and a few other issues. The boat had been worked over its life, scratches and what not, but it had all the parts. It's the older version with the one piece transom, but I don't mind that because it's rebuildable\repairable for sure. I cut another 300$ off the price due to the misleading ad and boat being in somewhat worse shape (and different colour) than advertised. He took the deal and I'm good with it. Like I said this is a proof of concept and a good test for the boat. For 650$ (Canadian $) it's a fraction of the cost of the other used ones for sale and the only one within a weeks drive of where I live right now. Can't wait to test it out on the sail this weekend.

 

[Guyfromthenorth]

First weekend trip with the porta-bote on board, sadly the last sail of the season too.

We loved the 'bote' compared to our old inflatable.

Pros:
-Easily stored on deck, seats\transom fit perfectly in our aft cockpit storage locker.
-Motors well.
-Fits 3 people plus some gear.
-Behaved well when tied to the stern overnight.
-Easily winched up on the spin halyard.
-No stress storming the beach like Normandy since there's no tube to pop
-Surprisingly stable considering how small it is. Stand up in it, climb in and out, not a single "whoops!...splash" moment, even with some of my passengers full of libations.

Cons:
-This is an older version so the black seams\joints scuffed the deck. We plan to put a sheet down next time. Magic eraser we believe will take the scuffs off.
-If you're going to put 3 people in, make sure 2 of them are on the back seat otherwise it'll plow water like a U-boat.
-A bit tricky to assemble on deck, especially while trying not to scuff the gelcoat. I think next season we will try assembling it while it's hanging from the spin halyard.
-Although the removable transom makes it lighter, it ends up being more parts to lose and assemble.

Overall very happy with it. Now, the 2hp Honda outboard, that's a different argument. First it would stall at full throttle, then it would stall at idle, then it would only run with full choke and full throttle, then the kill switch stopped working, now the oil check window doesn't show oil but the dipstick shows full to the max, the bearings on the shaft refuse to stop leaking grease and it's impossible to handle without getting black hands, then I tried removing the carb to clean the jets (definitely need this) and you have to somehow remove the entire bottom pan of the body to remove the carb! Ok ok I'm digressing here. The porta-bote is a hit.

 

[Guyfromthenorth]

So what do you think of the bottom? Did it remind you of walking on jello?

No sweat off my brow. I grew up paddling canoes made of grp, kevlar, and some plain old plastic. The portabote felt very familiar.

 

[Guyfromthenorth]

A poorly maintained outboard can be a chore. I get a number of them (all brands) to revive at the boat shop and the vast majority of the problems are user inflicted. That the oil check window is not getting oil into it indicates that it potentially had gone too long without an oil change and there is a bit of sludge built up in the crank case. Hopefully it was not overheated from running lean for too long. Air cooled outboards such as the Honda will require the oil change schedule to be followed with great rigor. I am presuming it came with the Porta-Bote and its maintenance history is an unknown.

Some folks also make the mistake of believing that since they are air cooled that you can run them without submerging the lower end in water however this usually leads to burning out the lower seals since they are water cooled. The exhaust tube can build up a lot of heat in the lower unit if is not submerged in the water and once cooked by exhaust heat the seals will leak. Chances are that the Honda is going to need some seals replaced to put it back in good order.

If it still runs you may find adding 2 or 3 ounces of Berrymans B12 Fuel System Cleaner to each gallon of gas may clear it up after a few uses as long as there is not a large build up of aluminum/pot metal scale in the bowl of the carb.

If you were local I'd be happy to assist with servicing it as it sounds like it needs a bit of overdue TLC.

Thanks for the tips Seastar, I'm definitely no stranger to engine work. I've found I always end up as the guy who gets the "30yrs of neglect" engine and has to pull the slack up that all owners seem to leave. It'll be an easy job to clean it up, especially the carbs, if I can just get the damn carb out of the engine first lol. It's a real bad design, usually honda is simple to work on. I'll get it though!