Anybody know anything or have opinions on this product? They have a 12' folding rowboat that folds up to 4" thick and can be assembled in 10-15 minutes. The capacity is 670lbs and the boat itself weights about 69lbs. I saw it at the NYC Boat show and it looked pretty good and sturdy. I'd use it in the Great South Bay in Long Island NY on nice days. The 12' boat can hold a 5HP 4 stroke Motor. The Boat show price was $1,550.00. I thought this would be a good way to get on the water without the cost of buying a boat and getting a slip. Thanks for any help on this.
Porta-Bote?
- Thread starter pjpy1
- Start date
I have had one for about 5 years, and it does the job. Mine is the 12' model (they have a 14' now too), and I have a Nissan 5 hp 2-stroke on it. I also had a Yamaha 4 hp 4 stroke on it, which worked well. It will handle 6 hp according to P.B. and in fact, they have a package deal with the 6hp 4 stroke on that boat.
The boat bottom flexes as you go over waves and wakes, so that feels a little weird at first, but it's no problem. The boat is reasonable dry, considering that it has about 8" freeboard
and it will plane with 4 hp, one person, and fishing gear, but not with 2 people. Still, we fish it all the time, in the Keys, and have had no problems with it.
I bought a wheel kit from PB, and didn't like that setup, so sold it and bought an aluminum trailer with pneumatic tires, made by a 3rd party. The trialer breakes down into 3 pieces, without tools, and stows in the motorhome storage bay, with the engine. The boat slides into a carying bracket on the roof, so it's out of sight and out of the way.
Let me know if you have any specific questions, and I'll try to answer.
The boat bottom flexes as you go over waves and wakes, so that feels a little weird at first, but it's no problem. The boat is reasonable dry, considering that it has about 8" freeboard
and it will plane with 4 hp, one person, and fishing gear, but not with 2 people. Still, we fish it all the time, in the Keys, and have had no problems with it.I bought a wheel kit from PB, and didn't like that setup, so sold it and bought an aluminum trailer with pneumatic tires, made by a 3rd party. The trialer breakes down into 3 pieces, without tools, and stows in the motorhome storage bay, with the engine. The boat slides into a carying bracket on the roof, so it's out of sight and out of the way.
Let me know if you have any specific questions, and I'll try to answer.
I have the 10 footer with a 4hp Nissan. Mine will plane with 2 people on board. Weighs about 70 lbs and is indestructible. For my needs it's the best thing. I have davits so I don't need to fold it. Best thing is it floats! I caught the painter with the prop and pulled it under...filled it with water but it floated high enough so that my outboard remained dry. No air pumps, adhesives and patches to worry about.
Here’s the website;
http://www.porta-bote.com/
Probably the cheapest vessel you can get at the NY boat show.
http://www.porta-bote.com/
Probably the cheapest vessel you can get at the NY boat show.
Seitech makes the trailer that I am using. Not sure if a link showing some details are ok here (if not, admin will please remove), but here it is:
http://www.whitehallrow.com/accessories/dolly.php
http://www.castlecraft.org/seitech_dolly.htm
http://www.whitehallrow.com/accessories/dolly.php
http://www.castlecraft.org/seitech_dolly.htm