porta bote?

[carpmanjake]

i have been looking at the porta boat for a long time. what do you all think about it? i think it looks like a good boat. but i want other peoples opinion

[Powerstroke]

I'm not convinced about its upside.

Easiest place I found it is at Cabelas and its $1800 for the 10ft boat and it weighs 60lbs without a motor or oars.

Seems like you could get a really nice kayak, canoe or a used jonboat for the same price, weight and no gimics. Just put your boat in the water and go. To carry around the portabote you still need a truck or the roof of your car so there is no advantage to size or storage. I don't see how it replaces a real boat.

Your money I guess. Its reviews are very positive, so I feel like it must be a good product, I just don't see why you would choose that over something that doesn't require assembly.

[HuskerBen]

For that kind of money, you might take a look at a Sportspal canoe. It's an extremely stable, lightweight, square stern canoe. They are nice, and very portable.

Of course, if you have a line on a used/cheap one, then it changes the game a little.

[Jim43]

Check out Boats to go dot com. Just bought a 12ft Kaboat from them and its awesome with my 2.5horse TMC outboard. Can`t beat the price either at only $499 for the Kaboat and $470 for the motor I found on e b a y.

[Paul_Kramer]

Our family has the 14' model, and I like it. I guess it depends on your situation. We wanted something that the family or a few buddies could pile into and can take a motor, unlike a canoe/kayak. But we had absolutely no room for a regular aluminum/fiberglass. We thought about an inflatable, but then you have to worry about wear and tear, and a bouncy ride. It goes at a pretty good speed with our 5 horse, and can take up to a 9.8 horse I think. Really stable so you can stand and walk arould, and plenty of room. I'd say the only downside is the setup/takedown every time you go. But it's better than nothing. Hope this helps.

[Chunggayhungay]

I bought a 10' model last year off [YouNeedAuthorization]. I thought it was a newer model but it ended up being a 1993, so be careful if you are looking to buy a used one. The last two digits of the serial number on the boat will be the year it was made.

I have the older version with the wooden seats, which I believe changed to plastic in the mid to later 90s.

I would definitley recommend the porta-bote. Mine is over 15 years old and is still works great. I weigh 180 and I usually go with one of my buddies who weighs about 215 and we are standing most of the time. I used a 30 Lb thrust trolling motor and it moves pretty well.

I wanted to buy a john boat or something but didn't have the room. I keep it in my garage and it folds up to about 4 inches thick. I strap it to the top of a 97 mazda protege, which is not a very big car and it works really well. I just use a couple foam pads and two come along straps.

[nofishfisherman]

The only real reason to go with a porta-bote would be if you just don't have the room to store a normal boat.

For the same price you could get a square stern canoe and a small motor if you want something you can use to access small lakes with only carry in access. Or if you want a more all around boat you can get a small aluminum boat, trailer and motor off of criagslist for a little over $1000.

I just don't like the idea that the boat I'm sitting in is meant to be folded up at the end of the day. I'd also like to know how it handles rougher water, it seems like any wind over 5-10 mph would make for a rough day. We don't get many days with wind lighter then that.