Porta Bote feedback

We have a 14' Porta Bote with a 9 hp motor. I have to agree that the motor seems to be the biggest challenge, as it takes the two of us to lift/install it, but a smaller motor can also be used. We like it because we can remove the motor, throw the boat in the back of the truck while it's still assembled, and go to a different lake. We fish in the High Sierras of California where there are endless lakes to fish. Ours travels on the roof of our truck that has a shell on it with Thule rails installed. The 14' porta bote weighs about 90 lbs, so to get it on the truck roof it is a 2 person job. Ours was purchased used with the motor from Craigslist. They sold us everything needed, including the roof rack, and a Bimini ( which we still have never used) for $2,000, which was way less than buying it new. We have since added a few folding seats which just add to the comfort of it. I don't think you would be disappointed with one.

I also have a 14' with a 8 hp Nissan outboard.
Works great. Set up and take down is about 20-30 minutes. I carry it beneath my 5'er with ratchet straps. Great for lakes and small rivers.
Very durable hull.
It is a simple efficient way to get out on the water when camping. Having a boat available changes the camping experience.

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.