We have the 10' portabote too, and it seems to be the most popular. The 8' is significantly smaller, but might be a good choice if you only intend to have 2 people in it. The smaller the boat the easier it is to handle on deck. I was surprised at how heavy the 10' is. I can "singlehand" assemble and launch it, but just barely, and prefer to rarely do that. I've never seen a 12' or 14'. 14' I would think is intended for people who want to drive a fishing tender on their roof to lakes/rivers (you can see on the portabote website that they market/sell for this purpose too).
The 10' can hold 4 adults and a 24 lb motor (3hp 2-stroke Kingfisher). Plus a few bags of groceries and beer. The rated weight is a conservative estimate. We only do this on flat water and we're definitely not planing with a 3hp. But it's very stable. Be careful about craigslist because older models had significantly different design. 2-5 years old should be no problem though. There are some negatives to the portabote, but they're relatively minor. They're small projects to correct upon getting the boat, but not something that would change my decision. The aluminum collapsible oars are cheap and prone to corrosion, and one snapped on my cruise this year. Replaced with West Marine aluminum adjustable oars which look like they'll last longer. The aluminum rivets they use on various parts of the boat are prone to rusting or failing eventually, so I spray them with BoeShield. One rivet failed on the motor mount, but was easily fixed by replacing with a thrubolt. The oar locks provided are dinky and make for frustrating rowing. They're plastic, and not lockable (they pop up out of the sockets). Replaced with aluminum oar locks that I can lock with a pin. This was a huge improvement to rowing and we should've done it immediately rather than waiting a season. SS oar locks would be worth it if you want to spring for the slightly higher price. Also, the seat pins are easy to lose, because PortaBote attaches them with a length of thin rope which isn't knotted to the pin. I recommend knotting the rope to the pin. They sold me two replacement pins for the ones I lost for about $8-10. Another project is building a lifting harness if you plan to deploy/hoist to deck with it assembled. -Patrick 1984 LF38, Seattle, WA On Tue, Aug 22, 2017 at 7:42 AM, <[email protected]> wrote: > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Josh Muckley <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Cc: > Bcc: > Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2017 14:41:34 +0000 > Subject: Re: Stus-List Follow-up Regarding Dinghy Recommendations? > Mine is a 10'. It is limited by rating to a 45lbs outboard and 3 people. > Any longer and it would be a real bear to davit over the side with my short > spin-pole. > > Josh > > > > > On Tue, Aug 22, 2017, 8:01 AM Bruce Whitmore via CnC-List < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Hello all, >> >> OK, so I like the idea of the Porta Boat given the ability to fold & stow >> it on deck, as well as the reviews I have read. So far, I have simply >> found very few negative comments. That said, I am going to try to find one >> that I like on Craigslist and see if I can negotiate a test run on one >> before I commit to it. >> >> Before I do that, they come in 8, 10, 12 and 14 foot models. What length >> would you recommend, and why? >> >> Thanks everyone for your help, >> >> Bruce Whitmore >> 1994 C&C 37/40+ "Astralis" >> (847) 404-5092 (mobile) >> [email protected] >> >> >> ------------------------------ >> *From:* Nate Flesness via CnC-List <[email protected]> >> *To:* "[email protected]" <[email protected]> >> *Cc:* Nate Flesness <[email protected]> >> *Sent:* Monday, August 21, 2017 8:26 PM >> *Subject:* Re: Stus-List Dinghy Recommendations? >> >> voting for the keep-it-light philosophy, we're happy with a 27 lb. 1.2 HP >> 30 year old Johnson/Evinrude that pushes an 8 ft Walker Bay with RID kit >> much faster than I can row it. We once had a water-ski boat,and I don't >> need my dink to act like that. We have davits, but hand the motor down and >> up - which is why 27 lbs is perfect. Bought one well used bur running fine >> for $300. Only caveat is, the little motors have little carb jets, most >> anything in the gas can cause trouble. I now fill the internal tank with a >> filter paper in the funnel to remove very fine crud. >> >> Nate >> >> 1980 C&C 30-1 >> Tartan 31 >> >> On Fri, Aug 18, 2017 at 12:24 PM, Bruce Whitmore via CnC-List < >> [email protected]> wrote: >> >> Hello all, >> >> The last thing I want to do is to start "The Great Dinghy War". [image: >> *;) winking] >> >> That said, our '94 came with two outboards, one 6.5 hp Honda 4 stroke >> mounted the the stern railing and an old Torqeedo. Haven't even gotten >> around to testing either one yet - too many other things on my list! Thre >> was a West Marine inflatable dinghy folded up under the v-berth, but the >> floor had entirely peeled out of it and is was in really poor shape. >> >> If we want to go on any kind of getaway (even a local one), I'm going to >> need a dinghy since transient slips here in the Tampa area are darned >> expensive. >> >> I'm really liking the idea of a porta-boat, especially given the ability >> to store it on deck easily. I've seen a couple of you comment very >> positively about them. I am also finding relatively few detractors. That >> said I want to keep my mind wide open as I way the options. >> >> I've read a number of articles that really push for a RIB with a 15hp >> yamaha as being the "standard" in the Caribbean due to combination of >> dryness, speed, and ability to get parts. However, in our harbor, we >> cannot keep a dinghy in the water next to our boat, so I think that may >> strike a RIB unless we hang dinghy davits from the stern which would >> probably force us into a bigger dock (which may not even be available in >> our marina). >> >> So,what dinghy, what size, and what outboard size/type? >> >> Bruce Whitmore >> >> (847) 404-5092 (mobile) >> [email protected] >> >> ______________________________ _________________ >> >> This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you >> wish to make a contribution to offset our costs, please go to: >> https://www.paypal.me/ >> stumurray <https://www.paypal.me/stumurray> >> >> All Contributions are greatly appreciated! >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you >> wish to make a contribution to offset our costs, please go to: >> https://www.paypal.me/stumurray >> >> All Contributions are greatly appreciated! >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you >> wish to make a contribution to offset our costs, please go to: >> https://www.paypal.me/stumurray >> >> All Contributions are greatly appreciated! >> > > _______________________________________________ > CnC-List mailing list > [email protected] > http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com > >
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