Porta Bote feedback

We had one for several years and liked it a lot. We only used it on small secluded ponds and lakes and drove it with an electric trolling motor. That was only a little faster than rowing, but much more restful. Had to give it up after becoming disabled, too much trouble getting into and out of it. It was fun, and much better than a canoe.

We bought the 12' with a 6 hp Mercury back in 2003. It comes in handy for exploring. With just me in it, it will get on plane and max out at about 18 mph. With 4 people and gear it won't plane and maxes out at about 5 mph. We are able to fit it inside our fifth wheel down the center asle. Lake Tahoe is the largest lake we've been on and that was mostly hugging the shoreline. It's great for smaller lakes. They're not cheap! I think we paid around 1200 for the bote and around 1600 for the 6hp.
The newer ones with the integrated reinforced transom is the way to go. The thrust from the outboard was the weak link in the older design. I love the light weight. It can be carried to the lake from our campsite without the need of a boat ramp. Good luck.

We owned one, and really enjoyed it. The floor undulates in all but the smoothest water - not a problem, but does take a little bit to mentally accept it. After some practice, I could assemble it myself in about 10 minutes. We had a 6HP Nissan that would scoot it around pretty quick.

We had a houseboat named Dog Paddle. The Porta-bote was for taking our dogs "to shore." It was named Dog Piddle.