Cruising Sailors Forum Archive

Having owned a Porta-bote in the past

I can provide a data point that is of a user who's come back to inflatables.

First -- the seats and transom combined add about 25 pounds to the published weight, and more than double the stowed space requirements. Those are cheaply made and will likely require replacement or repair within the first two years. They aren't stow-friendly either -- with hard edges and odd shapes.

Compared with an inflatable:

Pros: P-botes have a very durable skin and can't be punctured in normal use, row better and are faster with a small motor.

Cons:P-botes are less stable, cannot be boarded from the bow at a crowded dinghy dock, will mark your decks and topsides. Seats and transom are very likely to fail but are easily repaired or replaced with common materials.

Stowing is NOT an advantage of a P-bote when you take into account the seats and transom. It stows flatter than a deflated RIB but you're left with what to do about the extra parts, and it is definitely less stowable than a roll-up or air floor. The seats/transom by themselves will take at least as much room to stow as a roll-up or air floor inflatable.

Messages In This Thread