Good portable boat?

No, you are right. The "protuberances", up to 3 inches, are OK. Things like mirrors, handholds by doors, etc.

Bobbo wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:
that side mount bracket (not necessarily slide) has been around for many years. of course it will make your RV into a piece of equipment that is illegal to drive down the road without a lead car, fore and aft flag men, overside load banners, etc. :)
bumpy

True. Don't forget that anything over 102 inches wide (8 ft 6 in) is an oversize load on federal highways. My RV is 101.5 inches wide as purchased.

before "we" get sassed at, I think that excludes the mirrors. could be wrong on that.
bumpy

Bumpyroad wrote:
that side mount bracket (not necessarily slide) has been around for many years. of course it will make your RV into a piece of equipment that is illegal to drive down the road without a lead car, fore and aft flag men, overside load banners, etc. :)
bumpy

True. Don't forget that anything over 102 inches wide (8 ft 6 in) is an oversize load on federal highways. My RV is 101.5 inches wide as purchased.

Seattle Lion wrote:

Redsky wrote:
We tried an inflatable and a Porta-bote and found it took so much time to assemble them and put in all the things we needed (seats, anchor, motor, fuel tank or battery, fishing gear, etc.) and to reverse the process as we could not leave the boat in the water as the launch areas were seldom near our campsite that we stopped trying.

I saw PortaBoat at the state fair. They now have a bracket that mounts the boat on the side of the TT slide. That looked pretty easy to deal with. Of course now the 8' wide TT is now about a foot wider. We really want to have a boat with us. Many of the places we camp have great water for fishing and cruising around.

that side mount bracket (not necessarily slide) has been around for many years. of course it will make your RV into a piece of equipment that is illegal to drive down the road without a lead car, fore and aft flag men, overside load banners, etc. :)
bumpy

Redsky wrote:
We tried an inflatable and a Porta-bote and found it took so much time to assemble them and put in all the things we needed (seats, anchor, motor, fuel tank or battery, fishing gear, etc.) and to reverse the process as we could not leave the boat in the water as the launch areas were seldom near our campsite that we stopped trying.

I saw PortaBoat at the state fair. They now have a bracket that mounts the boat on the side of the TT slide. That looked pretty easy to deal with. Of course now the 8' wide TT is now about a foot wider. We really want to have a boat with us. Many of the places we camp have great water for fishing and cruising around.

Bumpyroad wrote:

AlmostBoatless wrote:
Personally, having owned 3 boats I would search in CL for a used RIB - inflatable dingy - and make sure no patches - see lots of pics - there are plenty of RIBs out there b/c lots of us had to sell the big boat due to loss of jobs. They are easy inflated, easy to use and many are inexpensive! Search locally and good luck!

I question your "no patches" requirement. I had two small holes in mine that I used the factory patch kit on. these patches used exactly the same process/material that the boat was "glued" together with in the first place. my patches had exactly the same chance for failure as the original boat.

of course some folks here would recommend rejecting a motorhome because it has a tiny screw hole in the side 7 ft up. :s
bumpy

Duh - meant to say below the waterline!!!!! Guess I'm getting...well...older! I agree that a patch above the waterline will have no problems. Thanks for pointing that out!

AlmostBoatless wrote:
Personally, having owned 3 boats I would search in CL for a used RIB - inflatable dingy - and make sure no patches - see lots of pics - there are plenty of RIBs out there b/c lots of us had to sell the big boat due to loss of jobs. They are easy inflated, easy to use and many are inexpensive! Search locally and good luck!

I question your "no patches" requirement. I had two small holes in mine that I used the factory patch kit on. these patches used exactly the same process/material that the boat was "glued" together with in the first place. my patches had exactly the same chance for failure as the original boat.

of course some folks here would recommend rejecting a motorhome because it has a tiny screw hole in the side 7 ft up. :s
bumpy

Personally, having owned 3 boats I would search in CL for a used RIB - inflatable dingy - and make sure no patches - see lots of pics - there are plenty of RIBs out there b/c lots of us had to sell the big boat due to loss of jobs. They are easy inflated, easy to use and many are inexpensive! Search locally and good luck!

An inflatable or Porta-bote are more viable if you stay in one spot for a week and have a campsite by the water or have a pickup towing a trailer and can use the bed of the truck to transport the boat each day from your campsite to the launch area.

An inflatable of any size is awkward to handle and large and heavy at 100 lbs. or more for a 10' or longer boat. Porta-bote is easier to handle but is long and narrow when collapsed so with a 11 foot boat you have a 11 foot long package to store when the boat is not in use. Either is easier to use when placed on a lightweight trailer, as are canoes and kayaks, and there are special very lightweight trailers made for this use.

With a trolling motor you have a battery to carry and they are heavy and you need to recharge it after a day or two of use. With a gas engine you have a 60 lb motor and need to carry a gas can and have a place to store both when not in use. A boat on a trailer with an outboard "permanently" attached so it does not get carried off is the easiest to manage and easier translates into more fun and more often actually used.

We have had both a 10' porta-bote and a 14' Hobie inflatable tandem kayak. We enjoyed playing with the kayak more, but the porta-bote is practical and durable. I'd recommend either one!!

Here are our reviews on each boat:

10' Porta-bote review

Hobie Inflatable Tandem Kayak reivew