Porta Bote feedback
Anybody have a Porta Bote ? We're thinking of a 12 footer with a 6 hp outboard. I'm aware it's not a boat to take 30 miles off shore for tuna fishing, but with a little common sense I'm thinking it wo...
Forum Discussion
The weight for an outboard jumps considerably past 6HP and is more than I would want to carry into the water. One alternative is to use a trolling motor and a 12v deep cycle battery. The battery can be recharged from the cigarette lighter of the truck or the inverter of the RV. Still have some weight as I would want a group 24 size battery to power the trolling motor.
One drawback with the Porta-bote is its low freeboard so it is not fun fishing from inside it when people are jetting around pulling wakeboards or waterskiers. As a segment these are some of the least considerate people on the planet.
Another drawback is when not using it on a trailer it needs to be assembled at the launch area and then disassembled before leaving the area. If you are camping right at the beach where you can leave the boat overnight it is less of a problem but you will still need to retrieve everything inside the boat each day. A bass boat or similar boat that has inside keyed lockers for storing fishing rods and other gear makes this a lot easier to manage and more time is spent out on the water than in schlepping gear back and forth at the start and end of each day of use.
This is where a pickup or SUV with a roof rack and hauling a travel trailer provides the option of having a small boat or multiple kayaks transported on the roof and other gear stored safely in the bed (if a cap/shell is on the pickup). With a pickup truck the fuel and motor can be in the bed and not in the cab.
One drawback with the Porta-bote is its low freeboard so it is not fun fishing from inside it when people are jetting around pulling wakeboards or waterskiers. As a segment these are some of the least considerate people on the planet.
Another drawback is when not using it on a trailer it needs to be assembled at the launch area and then disassembled before leaving the area. If you are camping right at the beach where you can leave the boat overnight it is less of a problem but you will still need to retrieve everything inside the boat each day. A bass boat or similar boat that has inside keyed lockers for storing fishing rods and other gear makes this a lot easier to manage and more time is spent out on the water than in schlepping gear back and forth at the start and end of each day of use.
This is where a pickup or SUV with a roof rack and hauling a travel trailer provides the option of having a small boat or multiple kayaks transported on the roof and other gear stored safely in the bed (if a cap/shell is on the pickup). With a pickup truck the fuel and motor can be in the bed and not in the cab.
