Porta-Bote, an option

[hardee]

So way back when I was in college, I saw one of these and have always wondered what they would be like on the water. I even have a photo of one in the SleepyC mini photo album, “Other boats We Have Seen”. It seems virtually indestructible; it floats, fully swamped, with 2-3 adults on board. It has semi- flexible sides and bottom, will handle a 3.5 – 5 hp kicker, is Coast Guard rated as an open water vessel, and did I mention It floats, even if it is not opened and assembled, (could be used like a surfboard in an emergency). It could be carried on the CD-22 cabin rooftop, folded flat (4 inches high) and assembled in 3 minutes standing vertically in the cockpit, then launched over the gunnel. Rocky, barnacally beaches are not a worry, nor is UV exposure, and, did I mention that at 43 pounds, I weighs about 80 pounds less than a Portland Pudgy, (which I really like the idea of but …..)

They can be seen at www.porta-bote.com and are on sale at the Seattle Boat Show.

So, here’s another “ Do any C-Brats have any personal experience with these?” questions. I would sure like to hear, pro’s or con’s, or ideas and opinions. I have looked through a good share of the dingy threads and only found a couple of not so good comments from several years ago. I'm wondering if there is a broader base of experience out there now. Thanks in advance, and here’s your turn, chime in now, and thanks.

Harvey
SleepyC

[Dora~Jean]

I have two of them (10 and 12 ft), they are great and all that they advertise. I used my 10 footer for about the first year I owned my CD25. However, it is quite awkward deploying a 10ft anything vertically with any wind or roll going on. Add to that, a cold day, and that polypropylene material becomes quite stiff, very difficult to fully open to get that first seat in place. Could be helped by a proper lever-arm or device to assist.

I have owned Porta Botes for 20 years, great for caving and anywhere an inflatable could be punctured -- like at the dingy dock next to the wooden scow with screws sticking out the sides! I finally relented though, and bought a raft again, much easier to deal with on my boat. It was much easier on the sailboats where you could deploy and fold away horizontally.

[dave]

I have a 10' portabote. They are as advertised. My guess is that they would be a real PIA to set up on a C-Dory. As Dora~Jean says, getting that first seat in is a real chore.

[JamesTXSD]

We had the 12' model. It was fine towing behind a monohull sailboat or up on the nets on our sailing trimaran, but I don't see how you could set it up on our CD-25. I have to say, I never tried setting it up in a vertical position, however. I'm guessing that would be a real handful.

That aside, it was absolutely indestructable. Easy to transport in a folded position on top of our SUV (or strapped to the cabin on the tri). The seats and transom take up as much space as the folded boat, so storage on a small boat must be considered.

Ours rowed decent, but I couldn't get it up on plane (as advertised) with a 5 hp Honda and two adults onboard. It kind of "slithers" through waves - a bit unnerving at first, but actually gave a nice ride.

I like the fact that they are pretty much bullet-proof, but IMHO an inflatable is much easier to deal with on boats like our C-Dory.

HTH

Best wishes,
Jim B.

[rogerbum]

This is a topic that's come up several times before. The general consensus has been (as has been stated above) that they are good boats but essentially near impossible to use as a dinghy on our due to the problems in setting them up with the limited space available in the cockpit.

If you do a search on in this site on porta-bote (using the search icon above), you'll find mention of them in several previous threads.

[Jeanie P]

Would there be any advantage to keeping it assembled and store on roof similar to a inflated raft?

Allan

[Les Lampman]

[Larry H]

I saw one at a boat show and thought it would be a good dingy for a CD22. Then I asked for an assembly demonstration.

The salesman had to STAND in the boat to spread the sides enough to insert a wooden brace. Then he inserted the seat and pinned it into position.

My conclusion was that the boat would have to be assembled on a dock. I suppose someone could fabricate a 'bumper jack' of some sort to spread the sides, but not me.

[Dene]

I'm wondering if this foldable canoe would work better with 25 foot or less boats.

Here's the link. Anybody have any experience or knowledge of this one.

http://www.instaboat.com/folding-boat.asp

-Greg

[Bill Uffelman]

Watching the demo says to me where is the room on the C-Dory to unfold and stand in the boat while you insert the seats etc. Kind of funny that the demo team didn't seem to know which way the parts went as they assembled the boat.

It certainly would make a good "second" dinghy if you had an inflatable tender for every day use and then wanted something to use as a canoe when you had space on a beach to assemble.

Bill Uffelman
Las Vegas NV

[Larry H]

So I looked at the web site and watched the video and read the warranty.

Note that they show pictures of a motor in use with the boat and the specification say a 2 hp motor is ok but the warranty EXCLUDES damage caused by using a motor!??

Warranty exclusions (quote)
" all types of damage caused by or resulting from use (i) of an engine or any other propulsion system or equipment; (ii) of any accessories sold separately from the folding boat;"

They also call it a row boat but only show canoe paddles in use.

I could not find anywhere on their site where they list the actual equipment provided with the boat.

This could be a good product, but why are they so evasive?

[JamesTXSD]

Our Porta-bote came with a wooden "pry bar"... more like a 2x4 with notches cut in it to hold the boat open while you put the first seat in. And, yes, I had to stand IN the boat to assemble it. That's why I said earlier that I couldn't imagine assembling the boat ON our CD-25. As far as putting the assembled boat on top of the cabin, the black rubber "keel" on our PB made seriously nasty black marks on our boat's gelcoat if you didn't put a towel or a rug down first when dragging the PB onboard.

I think they're a decent dinghy... but at some point you have to be realistic about how you will really USE a dinghy with a C-Dory. Towing isn't a great solution, especially in close quarters or running fast. A hard dinghy is going to be relatively heavy and a pain in the butt to get on the boat without a davit and two people. So, we're down to an inflatable, 'cause it just makes sense with these boats. If I can beach our boat or tie to a dock, that's a lot less work than messing with a dinghy... but when anchored or moored, a dinghy is a necessity. So, how hard are you willing to work?

If my boat were bigger (and my budget), and there was a decent place for a rib (sitting on bunks with the motor mounted), hoisted up by an electric davit), that would be swell. But, the dinghy is just part of the total package for cruising with these boats.

My 1¢ (50% discount on the regular opinion price - today only! )

[Dora~Jean]

Like I said, I used out 10 footer for about a year on our CD25. Folded it 'just' fit flat on our floor and could still 'just' get the cabinet doors open. But boy howdy, it really built up your arm muscles and torso doing that first opening, much easier with two people (...but then again you'd have to wake up your 'sleeping in' crew sometimes...).

We still take it on cave trips or on top of the car if going to Morro Bay for some sight-seeing. You lean it up against the rear of the cabin and just open it slowly, it works, just be in a no-wake zone! I even started to design an opener, tried a design (PVC), gave up. I also have the $40 wooden stick with notches, didn't help much, but some.

[tpbrady]

I tried an 8 foot model, and while I could assemble it standing up, it was a work out. All said in my 22 here is what I found:

a. Too heavy.
b. Too cumbersome.
c. Too many parts.

I think the portabote is best kept on the side of a motorhome or the roof of a car. If my boat was bigger, I would still use an inflatable. A good inflatable would make a better life raft if it came down to it. I wouldn't say that about a portabote.

[dave]

The Instaboat seems to be a Portabote in aluminum. All of the same assembly problems. In order for it to be unsinkable, it has those external flotation strips. The ones I have seen on sailing canoes deteriorate and fall off pretty quickly.