We've done 2 two year cruises, using our 12' Porta-Bote on a daily basis. On our last cruise (just ended), we also had a 10' inflatable. Since we had a teenager aboard, we felt we needed a 2nd dinghy. MY wife and I invariably would chose to use the PB when going somewhere.

The Porta-Bote definitely has pluses and minuses, but on the whole, my wife and I prefer the PB. For the record, we have replaced the transom and seats with white painted wooden ones we made (a vast improvement over the black plastic ones in the tropics).

Everything Larry said is true, but for us, the trade offs are in favor of the PB. We rarely are someplace where there is a crowded dinghy dock so can almost always board from the side and the PB comes out ahead in just about every other trade off. In our experience, the black plastic leaving marks on the side of our boat is minimal and easily prevented by hanging a fender for the PB to rest against or just securing it with a long enough line so that it rides behind the boat.

One advantage Larry missed is that the PB has a lot more interior volume for hauling groceries, laundry, scuba gear, etc.

- Dan