BajaNomad

Porta-boat?

Kgryfon - 5-6-2015 at 01:47 PM

Hi - Anyone use one of these Porta-boats as a dinghy for your larger boat? If so, how did you like it?

Under what conditions would you take it out by itself for fishing? Only in a protected cove?

Looks kind of interesting if you want to save space and/or don't want to tow a boat...

http://www.porta-bote.com/

Thanks!

Graham Makintosh and M's Porta-Boat

David K - 5-6-2015 at 01:53 PM

durrelllrobert - 5-6-2015 at 02:37 PM

When I worked in D.C. a coworker had one that fit inside his station wagon (8 ft long?) and a small self contained outboard motor (built in gas tank). He used it for fishing in the Potomac river (when it wasn't frozen) and even in the Chesapeake Bay occasionally.

chuckie - 5-6-2015 at 02:50 PM

I used one that used to be just left on the beach, down by Agua Verde...paddled it around, caught a bunch of Cabrilla off the rocks...NEAT! Just left it where I found it....

Skipjack Joe - 5-6-2015 at 07:24 PM

You might want to ask baitcast who used his extensively in the BOLA area.

Hook - 5-6-2015 at 11:01 PM

As a tender, I found they required quite a bit of physical force to separate the sides from the folded configuration and insert the bench seats. To accomplish this really required assembling it on a flat surface like the shore or a dock, so you could use your legs to keep the sides separate. But it takes a bit of room up on a public dock and they frowned on it the one time I tried it at Two Harbors/Isthmus. Of course, the shore would work...........but you have to assemble the boat before you can get it to shore.

Unless your boat is big enough to do this on deck, you really have to transport it assembled or tow it. Towing interferes with trolling. No bueno.

But it did seem to tow pretty well, as it has a bit of a keel. I have only owned power boats so I am cruising at at least 12 knots. I towed with the engine off.

They ride pretty nice BUT.......with an engine and a person steering at the back, it was almost mandatory to have a person on the front bench or the bow would ride really high out of the water and not track well.

The PB IS a fairly efficient hull, though.

Inflatables or a Livingston on davits are a better option, IMO.

Kgryfon - 5-7-2015 at 09:01 PM

Thanks for the feedback. Can one person who is not the mighty Graham :) set this up alone? I was thinking of this as a tender when the big boat is anchored as the mother ship and you want to toodle around without having to weigh anchor on the big boat. Or, if I were to go camping and didn't want to tow a boat behind me but have one available once I was set up. I understand they are pretty lightweight so you could drag it down to the water once it was set up.

Not a dig at Graham, but that guy can do anything! I am a mere mortal. And travel alone most of the time.

Porta boat

captkw - 5-7-2015 at 09:08 PM

They are easy to set up and ride rather stable for their size....my grand pa had one forever and would never think of selling it... and they wont lose air like a De flatable:P

SR HooK

captkw - 5-7-2015 at 09:12 PM

they don't make davits for this livingston

white seabass.jpg - 46kB

Kgryfon - 5-7-2015 at 09:27 PM

Ha ha! Yes, I suspect it would be a problem if I hooked one of those on the Porta-boat!

Floatflyer - 5-8-2015 at 06:32 AM

I have an 8' PB and strapped it on the struts of a floatplane for 7 yrs. Used a 3.5 hp Tohatsu and only on lakes. It is a pain to assemble solo but easy with a helper. I was always a bit concerned when wife and dog were in the boat as the bow freeboard was about 5-6"! I do think about using it as a tender on my 24' Bayliner when cruising in the San Juans BUT only assembled and if I figure out how to store it.

Hook - 5-8-2015 at 06:46 AM

They make Livingstons a lot smaller than that, Cappy. There are ones that look no more than 8 feet. They are not uncommon as a tender around here. The older ones are no more than a molded piece of fiberglass with no cap at all. Not light but not too heavy for davits.

Krgyfon, yes they can be set up by one person, without much difficulty. I just cant imagine doing it with only the use of your arms to separate the sides and insert the benches, as would be the case on boats with a beam of less than maybe 10 feet (depends on the size PB you buy). I needed to get my legs and weight inside the hull to keep the sides apart while positioning the benches.

Really, though, while the boat folds up, it is still a bit of a challenge to store it easily, so that it is out of the way. The sides are slippery and there is no decent attachment point when folded. It would seem like storing it along the railing of a boat would work but, unless you have a nice wide walkway along the rails or a fairly long, straight area along a larger boat, the curvature of the rail area prevents inserting it there. Then, there is the issue of securing it there so that it doesnt move while underway.

And it will certainly take up a lot of space back in the sole of a boat.

Tell us what size the mothership is, Krygfon.

Personally, I'd rather have an inflatable and accept the minor (and easily fixed) inconvenience of leaks. With their multiple air chambers, they are much safter than a PB, IMO. PBs can be swamped and there are obviously no scuppers; they will not provide much flotation if filled with water. I feel inflatables are more stable, too, for stepping in and out of. And they can be deflated and stored in more places. I dont know how one would get in and out of a PB from the water. At least you can roll over the "gunwales" on an inflatable.

I actually travel with my inflatable (on only a 25 x 8 boat, mind you) with it upside down, inflated, on the bow rails. I use a series of three lines to keep it in place, as inflatables have lots of attachment points. My wife and I can muscle it up there from the water pretty easily (only an 8-6 length; weighs about 70 lbs. ). I have a very high bow rail that is about three feet off the deck, so I can still get UNDER the inflatable to operate the windlass and deploy/retrieve the anchor.

I have a small flybridge so it doesnt inhibit my vision and it passes a lot of air; does not add much to the aerodynamics of the boat. And when I am loaded for a cruise, I am a bit stern-heavy so the extra weight up front is helpful. But I am a small boat.

durrelllrobert - 5-8-2015 at 09:14 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Kgryfon  
Ha ha! Yes, I suspect it would be a problem if I hooked one of those on the Porta-boat!


My neighbor once caught and got a 16 foot shark to shore in his 14 foot redwood plank canoe so that sea bass should be no problem for a Porta-boat. Just tie fish to side by it's tail like my neighbor did.

Not to hijack this thread but my neighbor is now selling that canoe which has a transom on back and comes with 2 different outboard motors and a galvanized trailer all for $600. send me u2u and I'll get you in touch with him if you're interested.

[Edited on 5-8-2015 by durrelllrobert]