Porta-Bote

[Stumpalump]

I just picked up a 12' porta-boat. It folds flat 4"thick. You slide on the transom and the 3 seats and go. This one came with a 2.5hp yamaha 4 stroke and a trolling motor. Has anybody ever fooled with one of these contaptions or seen one in use?

 

[Wyowanderer]

Maybe, when I was a kid. Can you post a couple pics?
My dad had one that folded up. It was made of wood and some sort of plastic or rubbrized material.

 

[Stumpalump]

Here is a vid that preety covers it well. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4259213210555011452#

Somebody brought an 8 footer 20,000' up Mount Everest to boat in a lake thats up there. Mine is the 12 footer and is the only boat that is FAA aproved for sea plane travel when straped to the pontoons. It weighs 69 lbs complete but the hull is in the 50's and folds up to 12.5' x 24" x4". It's almost 5 feet wide when set up and seems big for a 12 footer. Dang! Now I need a sea plane.

You would think that after 9 other boats I would have had enough but this little thing straped on the roof can be taken to those places that nobody else can get too. Mine also came with a trolling mtr and a 37LB Yamaha 4 stroke 2.5 hp.

One thing that impressed me was that when I called the factory to ask about used boats I've seen on Craigslist the lady was very honest about the new and old boats and what to look for. She told me to jump on the Yamaha equiped boat and after cleaning the jets I can tell that it's a sweet little engine. The cool thing about it that it does not leak oil or gas vapors when stored.

Personally.. I have no pride and if it's a hassle or a POS I'll be the first to say.
Hope to have the maiden voyage this weekend in the Porta-Bote.
SS Porta Potty sound like a good name?

Link to main site: http://www.porta-bote.com/index.htm

 

[Bugspray]

Hmmm...I've been looking at these as I think you could access some of those out of the way lakes and rivers. The best part is it is easy to load on top of a vehicle. Does it have oarlocks? I'd be interested in how it performs esp. the safety reliability aspect.
Cheers

 

[billwilson]

let us know

bw

 

[Stumpalump]

The boat comes with oarlocks but mine were missing. I like to row a boat and have done it quite a few times. I would think that the plastic sides would flex a lot with the kind of pressure I'd like too put on it. It could be done and with the light weight of the boat but easy use of the oars would probably be good. Mine came with the Porta boat oars and they are nice but nothing like a stought wooden oar.
I used it yesterday and it went well. My E350 had a dead battery so I threw it on the minivan roof with no problem. At 59 lbs hull weight it's a one man job. Set up was a lot quicker than expected. I did one dry run when I brought it home. Basically you unfold it and prop it open with the supplied wooden prop. The seats slide into tracks and a pull pin is inserted in each of the sides. The transom drops right in but uses two bolts on each side with rubber washers and wingnuts. Thats it. Moving the boat on the beach was easy but I did use the wheel thing that came with it for rolling the assembly out of the water. It was also suprisingly easy. The Yamaha needs bigger carb jets because it was a super enviro freindly design but I'll fix that so it's a little faster. The boat steers incredibly well especially in the tight creeks. It will u-turn on a dime. The flex in the hull was there but it is what it is and really caused no side effects other than it's weird at first. I allways loved a tiller handle operation over any thing. It's the best for shallow water and turning.
Besides the limited flex in the boat you would never know the difference. It did not leak a drop despite being a 2001. It went on the roof and in the water as fast as my old boats on a trailer because setup is simple. One consideration would be that even thou the hull folds up to such a tight package you still have a bag with the seats and transom. Add your other gear like seat cusions and life jackets and it's bulk that you must carry along.
Overall we were delighted with it and I can't wait to get it out again. It's so light and handles so well that with a tiny out board or trolling motor you can run the tight spots and shallows like a pro. I've had ski boats but getting way back in is where it's at for me. Thumbs up on this cool little boat! It was a lot better than I expected.

 

[pidge]

thumbs up for a great little portable boat.

Perfect for throwing it on the roof and exploring those hidden jem lakes

I recomende one of these to anyone thats considering a canoe, but want the stability, great little boat. I use a 50 or 55lbs thrust elec. trolling motor and its fine for the smaller lakes, but I'd be hesitante to take it out on a big body of water with that motor set up.

 

[cellularsteve2]

Hey Stump,
I have one and really like it. I can fairly easily put it up on my yakima rails. I carry a 5HP Nissan under the gaucho in my SMB. I would say 2 passengers max as it sits fairly low in the water. I use mine for lake fishing and think it is the perfect companion to my van. Here is a photo of it on the roof on my drive into Laurel Lakes (no way you are getting a boat on a trailer in this place):

steve

 

[Stumpalump]

Thats sweet Steve! Thats exacly why I bought mine. Is yours a 12'? They make an 8,10,12,and 14'. Oh and can you coment on the oar usage and the oar locks? Are the oarlocks and mount's plastic and how much do they flex the boat when in use? Mine are missing and I'm debating using the light oars as paddles or getting the oarlocks from Porta boat.

 

[F350joe]

Awesome set up there. How stiff is the boat when folded up? Do the ends flap around at all?