# Dinghy vs Porta Bote



## gbm4th (Jul 31, 2009)

I have Contest 31 and am considering options to go ashore while traveling the Chesapeake Bay. Towing a dinghy behind the boat is an an option. 

Two of my marina neighbors have a small Porta Bote that they place outside the lifelines when cruising and put the boat together on the deck when they want to go ashore.

Does anyone have any experience good/bad with the Porta Bote?

Thanks,
George


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## erps (Aug 2, 2006)

We have a portabote. I have mixed feelings about it. It rows decent, not as good as our sailing dinghy, better than an inflatable. It's light. It's pretty tough, we don't worry about dragging it up on the beach. It doesn't require a large motor to get it up on a plane. That means less weight, less expense and less fuel. It stores reasonably well. The boat folds up nicely, but you still have to find a place to store the seats and transom piece. We don't break ours down that often. It's not as stable as an inflatable. That's the main draw back. My son and I have hauled ourselves out of the water onto it after a dive, but it was with a coordinated effort with each of us hauling ourselves over the side at the same time. It's our primary dinghy around local waters. I haven't decided yet whether to stick with it when we go offshore or get an RIB.


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## WDS123 (Apr 2, 2011)

Naples Sabot was the original tender. 

There are thousands on the west coast


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## ctl411 (Feb 15, 2009)

I had a 12 now have a 14 portabote I like mine. The 14 has a better design to hold in the seats its a full length aluminum tube that makes the sides more ridged. When rowing it doesn't flex as much as the 12 did. If you get one you could change to the full length design. It may also have been a year design change not length based. I bought mine used if you get one used and don't like it they sell easily. If you plan on rowing alot I think a cross brace up by the oarlocks would get rid of all the flex.


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## Frogwatch (Jan 22, 2011)

For my 28' boat, I have tried 5 different dinghies with the last being an 8' porta-bote. I am happy with the Porta-bote so I think it will be my last dinghy experiment. It rows well even with 3 adult men aboard. It is light enough for me to hoist onto the foredeck and assemble it. It stows between the shrouds and cabin top although it could be hung from the lifelines. When I leave my boat for a long time, I can take it apart and stow it below.


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

i like the idea of a port-bote...
it is the execution that made me go with a small inflatable.
An 8-10' roll-up inflatable can be stowed in a lazarette or pilot berth if necessary and est up in 5 minutes. a porta-boat is a life-line liner by default, and is an origami puzzle to assemble on deck.

two people and a dog can load onto an inflatable from a ladder without playing twister- a porta-bote, not so much.
We can inflate/deflate/deploy our small rubber duck from the foredeck of our 23' boat if necessary- not a chance with a porta-bote.


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## chucklesR (Sep 17, 2007)

All boats, even dinghy's are a compromise. 

Jump into a dockmates PB and give it a try before you buy. 

A deflated rollup in a bag tied to the mast is just as convenient to store and launch, more stable getting into and out of - but will row like a inflatable mattress. 

A hard dinghy (water tender or other) towed behind is super convenient to store and launch, rows like a hard dinghy should, and drags like an anchor while underway. 

My 9'6" RIB weighs 125 pounds, the 5 horse 2 stroke nissan it uses put me up on a plane (but not much else) and hangs from the davits like a dead weight - oh, and I don't even think about rowing it. I carry a 44 pound thrust trolling motor and a 115 Ah battery for a backup.


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## caberg (Jul 26, 2012)

I don't think you can beat the convenience of towing a dinghy, which is what we do.

We tow this one: WEST MARINE WaterTender 9.4 Rowing Dinghy at West Marine

I haven't done enough comparison of towing vs. not-towing (we almost always tow it) to know how much it slows us down, but it's not that much.


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## ctl411 (Feb 15, 2009)

I can assemble and launch my 14 footer alone.


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## chucklesR (Sep 17, 2007)

I'd guesstimate my buddies Sabre is a knot off speed while he's towing his Saturn inflatable. I had to throttle down to almost nothing to let him keep up (I normally go 7 kts at 2/3 throttle). 
That's a lot of extra diesel when motoring over time.


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## caberg (Jul 26, 2012)

If he's staying exclusively within Chesapeake Bay, motoring long distances may not be an issue.

No doubt towing a dink will slow you down a bit. For me, I've never cared because we don't generally try or need to cover long distances, nor are we ever in much of a rush to get anywhere. We're more likely to drop an anchor after a few hours of sailing, regardless of where we are, so that we can do some swimming or go explore a shoreline with the dinghy. That said, I did motor 50 miles earlier in August and was glad to not be towing a dinghy for that trip. 

I guess it depends on how you plan to use it.


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## gbm4th (Jul 31, 2009)

Thanks for the comments everyone. I never really thought about stowing an inflatable on a bag on the mast.

There is not always a lot of wind on the Chesapeake during the summer, so anything I can reasonably do to reduce wetted surface area is a plus. I am not doing a lot of cruising yet but hope to in the future.

I guess I need to see whether I can build and launch a Porta Bote off my deck before investing in it.

Thanks again,
George


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## dylanwinter1 (Jan 15, 2010)

had a go

it rows really well

but to me it looks like a swine to store

film


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## Grammaraine (Jan 21, 2018)

I had a 10' portabote but my husband hurt his shoulder and now can't lift it onto the car roof. I want to buy the 8' but don't know if it will be able to hold a 200 lb adult in the aft. I row and he sits in back. From the videos Ive seen it dips way down close to the water. Is it seaworthy with two adults?


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## Aswayze (Apr 5, 2015)

I cannot speak directly about the PortaBote but I have an Instaboat which is a similar critter made of aluminum that is more of a Pirogue shape. It rows and paddles well, motors at displacement speeds and is a dandy little tender that I would surely use again if aliens descended from space and stole all the inflatables. I have it stashed under my front porch just in case... In the mean time, I much prefer the stability and "not tied to the lifelines" storage of the inflatable.


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## Lazerbrains (Oct 25, 2015)

I'm not the biggest fan of storing outside the lifelines (fouls my sheets etc), so portaboats are out for me.

However, I do like the idea of them.

There is a supposedly improved version called a "quickboat" that is worth checking out. I saw a display of the quickboat at a show and was impressed with the construction and ease of how it went together.

http://quickboats.com/


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## RegisteredUser (Aug 16, 2010)

PortaBote says 445lb capacity...people, pets, gear, motor


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

I have no experience with a portaboat.. but lots with dinks which I have always towed when cruising locally. I stow the OB on the pushpit and it's now an 8hp and required a lifting crane which is a demountable Garhauer which is fabulous... and of course can be easily dissembled and stowed. Never tow with an OB on...

We had to go ashore frequently to walk the dog... but even without a dog I would not want to waste time in assembling, dis assembling a dink... or having a wet mess on the deck when I don't have to. We are also anchored or moored far from the dock hence why we got a dry dink with large tubes which could support a larger OB with separate tank.


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## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

I like the idea of a foldable dinghy. However, I would be a little worried about wrecking stanchions with a boarding wave.


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## MikeOReilly (Apr 12, 2010)

I’ve had my 10’ portabote for must be over a decade now. It’s a great dingy for my needs. It stores on our side deck against the cabin (not against the stanchions … I think that is a bad idea). Our decks are wide so the bote does not block access to the side deck. The seats also store on deck, against the forward cabin.

It takes a large load. Is stable (but is different than a rubber dinky). Is fairly light, so no need for halyards to lift the thing. Is damn-near indestructible, so no worries about rough landings. It rows well, and takes a small outboard. It even has a sail rig, which is fun to play with in an anchorage.

I went through three rubber dinghies before finding the portabote. Rubber is good, but without davits it means dragging the thing around, or having it occupy most of the foredeck on my boats. I hate dragging a dingy. Affects the boat and can become quite dangerous in a sudden storm. I do drag the portabote, but only on very short, safe hops.

The major downside to the botes is the (dis)assembly. We do it on our foredeck, and it takes me about 10 to 15 minutes if we’re moving leisurely. It can be done a lot faster when necessity dictates.

Grammaraine: you are well acquainted with the 10-footer. I think you’d have a hard time rowing the 8-footer in the way you describe. Possibly putting the hubby in the bow area might work, but you’re better off running a small outboard. Even an electric trolling motor will move the portabote quite well.


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