porta boat storage *UPDATE*

Check out the Portabote Yahoo Users Group Forum. Lots of useful information there. I know that there were some folks there that built enclosed containers that were attached to the underside of a trailer.
This guy has some photo's on his website that will give you an idea.
http://www.dmvpix.com/keyword/portabote

jkbrea wrote:

Lantley wrote:
You guys may motivate be to devise PVC rollers system. Ratchet straps are effective and simple however rollers may help avoid some of the crawling around.

I was thinking something really simple like two rows of L brackets with a metal rod connecting them and a section of PVC over the rod. It doesn't have to roll on bearings or look pretty since it's underneath the RV.

I was thinking the same as well. My concerns are PVC rollers will hang lower a may create a small clearance issue. Bote will have to slide in and out from the front of the RV vs. being able to load from the side. I may have to still crawl underneath to secure bote however bungee cords could possibly used vs. ratchet straps. Idea is relatively simple.

Lantley wrote:
You guys may motivate be to devise PVC rollers system. Ratchet straps are effective and simple however rollers may help avoid some of the crawling around.

I was thinking something really simple like two rows of L brackets with a metal rod connecting them and a section of PVC over the rod. It doesn't have to roll on bearings or look pretty since it's underneath the RV.

You guys may motivate be to devise PVC rollers system. Ratchet straps are effective and simple however rollers may help avoid some of the crawling around.

Best setups I have seen had the Porta-bote rack mounted under the trailer and used outdoor carpet or PVC pipe to make sliding it in and out easier. With my Porta-boat I made a stainless steel bridle to go through the bow holes and it makes it easy to padlock to the RV.

georgelesley wrote:
What about putting it on a rack on top of the truck?

I think it would hit the cap of the 5er when turning plus thats why I sold my kayak.......hard to haul around. I crawled around under my trailer and there is lots of room and steel beams. I'm thinking some type of brackets and maybe 1"PVC to act as rollers so it can slide in and out easily. Kind of like a roller conveyor. Just gotta figure out how do it.

What about putting it on a rack on top of the truck?

JEBar wrote:
when we had a Porta Bote we went through the same "how are we going to take this thing with us" thought process .... we decided against mounting it to the side of our camper due to slide configurations .... installing a carrier and bracket on the back of the camper to carry it vertically but ours would have extended to far above the roof .... for me the roof was out, too much effort involved in putting it up there and taking it down .... that only left under the camper .... as with the one pictured above, that ended up doing OK .... biggest problem was the amount of road grime that builds up on the boat required a great deal of cleaning .... a Porta Bote is a great idea but for me, it proved to be way too much work for what I got out of it and I was most happy the day it was sold

Jim

I don't have an issue with dirt. The bote is very durable any dirt just comes right off.
The bigger issue with carrying the bote underneath is getting my less than limber body underneath the trailer to crawl around and load and unload the bote.
Securing the bote requires shimming and sliding along the ground, which may be wet,muddy,sharp,rocky etc. depending on campsite.
Don't get me wrong carrying bote underneath works well, but it requires effort to secure and remove bote.
The good part about underneath storage is the bote stays beneath the trailer the entire camping season. I don't load and unload the bote when I get home. I leave bote underneath the trailer at all times. Some trips I use it some I don't however the bote is never in the way. You really can't tell the bote is beneath the trailer.

when we had a Porta Bote we went through the same "how are we going to take this thing with us" thought process .... we decided against mounting it to the side of our camper due to slide configurations .... installing a carrier and bracket on the back of the camper to carry it vertically but ours would have extended to far above the roof .... for me the roof was out, too much effort involved in putting it up there and taking it down .... that only left under the camper .... as with the one pictured above, that ended up doing OK .... biggest problem was the amount of road grime that builds up on the boat required a great deal of cleaning .... a Porta Bote is a great idea but for me, it proved to be way too much work for what I got out of it and I was most happy the day it was sold

Jim

I carry my 14' Porta bote beneath my fiver simply secured with ratchet straps. I have carried Bote that way for the last 5 years without issue