[Rhodes22-list] Porta-Bote users?

[John Lock]

Amen to that!  I got mine new at a boat show and saved about $250,
plus the free shipping.

Best bet is to watch the used markets (eBay, Craigslist, etc). I sold
mine for $900 on Craigslist and it's now doing dinghy service in the
Bahamas aboard an Island Packet 36.

Cheers!
John Lock
s/v Pandion

On Tuesday, July 19, 2011, Stephen Staum <snstaum at gmail.com> wrote:
> Mike,
>
> It is true that the Porta-Bote is not cheap, although you can do better at
> the boat shows - at least free delivery and usually an additional discount
> as well.  Unlike an inflatable, they do not sink (internal flotation foam)
> and are pretty indestructible.  Mine is 8 years old and still going strong.
> The hull is guaranteed for 10 years!  Mine was swept off the floats during a
> storm 2 years ago and was crushed between 2 floats that weigh thousands of
> pounds.  I had to buy 2 new seats and do a little cosmetic work on the
> rubber that acts as a rub rail.  Any other boat would have been thrown away.
>
> As with most things, you get what you pay for.  I can find lots of small
> sailboats that are way cheaper than a Rhodes 22 but I would not trade mine
> for any of them.
>
> One man's opinion.
>
> Stephen Staum
> '87 R22, Carol Lee
> Needham, MA
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Michael D. Weisner
> Sent: Tuesday, July 19, 2011 5:42 PM
> To: The Rhodes 22 Email List
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Porta-Bote users?
>
> I was thinking about a new dinghy (ours is 30 years young).  A PortaBote is
> about $2K, with oars, delivered!  Seems kinda pricey.
>
> Maybe I'll just buy another R22 and tow it behind ours!
>
> Mike
> s/v Shanghai'd Summer ('81)
> Nissequogue River, NY
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Stephen Staum" <snstaum at gmail.com>
> To: "The Rhodes 22 Email List" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, July 19, 2011 5:33 PM
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Porta-Bote users?
>
>
>> The 10 footer is probably the largest you could have & stow on board.  I
>> was
>> thinking of the 12 but the Porta-Bote salesman talked me out of it - too
>> long to stow on a 22' boat.  To assemble it on board you have to slide it
>> across the cockpit - gunnel to gunnel - and snap in the seats and transom.
>> This is doable although not easy.  if you mostly tow like me, it will
>> work.
>>
>> Stephen Staum
>> '87 R22, Carol Lee
>> Needham, MA
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Sailor Joe
>> Sent: Tuesday, July 19, 2011 5:20 PM
>> To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
>> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Porta-Bote users?
>>
>>
>> Yes, I was wondering about the practicality of setting up while on the
>> deck
>> of the Rhodes.  I would probably tow it most of the time but being abl e
>> to
>> stow it under certain conditions is important to me.
>>
>>
>>
>> jlock wrote:
>>>
>>> I had a 12-foot PortaBote for years for car topping.  That was before my
>>> Rhodes, so I just used it as a vacation fishing boat.  I had a 5hp
>>> outboard to drive it which was all it needed.  I'd stick with the
>>> 8-footer
>>> for a Rhodes dinghy.  They get progressively heavier as the size goes up
>>> and getting it out of the water on deck could be a challenge.
>>>
>>> The sail kit looks like a PITA to me.  Besides fitting the mast and
>>> rigging the kit includes leeboards which have to be bolted to the sides.
>>> I would think that setting this all up to use sail power (and de-rigging
>>> afterward) would be impractical.
>>>
>>> Also bear in mind that besides the folded hull to store, you will have
>>> two
>>> or three seat sections, the transom piece, and oars to store on board.
>>> These may fit under the cockpit seats, but factor that in with whatever
>>> else you have onboard.  If you don't use the forepeak much that might
>>> work
>>> for interior storage of the   PortaBote parts.  The hull can be lashed
>>> down on deck somewhere or if you have lifelines they make a handy lash
>>> point.
>>>
>>> The hardest part of launching and retrieving the PortaBote will be
>>> finding
>>> adequate space to do the setup and knockdown.  Again, that gets
>>> progressively harder with the larger models.
>>>
>>> Cheers!
>>> John Lock
>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>> s/v Pandion - '79 Rhodes 22
>>> Lake Sinclair, GA
>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Jul 19, 2011, at 00:34, Sailor Joe wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> I'm seriously considering a Porta-Bote to use as a dinghy for some
>>>> destination sailing.
>>>>
>>>> Do any of you use them and if so what size and do you use the R22 engine
>>>> on
>>>> the Porta-Bote or carry an additional engine?
>>>>
>>>> I have read that they row well and can be fitted with a sail kit.
>>>> Sounds
>>>> pretty versatile to me.  Does anyone have experience with towing them or
>>>> stowing them on the R 22?
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> View this message in context:
>>>> http://old.nabble.com/Porta-Bote-users--tp32088245p32088245.html
>>>> Sent from the Rhodes 22 mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
>>>>
>>>> __________________________________________________
>>>>