"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...
wrote:


Umm... Having owned both, I can say that the Porta-Bote is every bit as
seaworthy, has more useful room for a given size boat, has a drier ride,
can be
rowed easily in a straight line, sailed or motored while full of water
without
capsizing, and planes with a very small lightweight motor. Mine eagerly
jumps up
on top of the water with a 3.5 HP motor that weighs 29 pounds. I never
have to
tow it, because I can hand launch and retrieve it without a hoist, and it
folds
up flat in a few minutes to be lashed to the lifelines. It costs half
what a blow up boat costs, and of course the motor costs a
fraction of what is required for a RIB to perform as well. I don't need a
patch
kit, either.



8' Porta-Bote, (List Price: $1895) Factory Direct Price: $1,349
10' Porta-Bote, (List Price: $1945) Factory Direct Price: $1,499
12' Porta-Bote, (List Price: $1995) Factory Direct Price: $1,599
14' Porta-Bote, (List Price: $2395) Factory Direct Price: $1,859

Does that look about right?

Doesn't look like we have a direct dealer in the Maritimes anymore...I
haven't seen one at the Halifax boat show in a few years.
Looks like this Ontario company looks after Eastern Canada. Note his
prices.
http://www.ontarioportableboats.com/...te_prices.html

"Don White" wrote in message
...

"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...
wrote:


Umm... Having owned both, I can say that the Porta-Bote is every bit as
seaworthy, has more useful room for a given size boat, has a drier ride,
can be
rowed easily in a straight line, sailed or motored while full of water
without
capsizing, and planes with a very small lightweight motor. Mine eagerly
jumps up
on top of the water with a 3.5 HP motor that weighs 29 pounds. I never
have to
tow it, because I can hand launch and retrieve it without a hoist, and
it folds
up flat in a few minutes to be lashed to the lifelines. It costs half
what a blow up boat costs, and of course the motor costs a
fraction of what is required for a RIB to perform as well. I don't need
a patch
kit, either.



8' Porta-Bote, (List Price: $1895) Factory Direct Price: $1,349
10' Porta-Bote, (List Price: $1945) Factory Direct Price: $1,499
12' Porta-Bote, (List Price: $1995) Factory Direct Price: $1,599
14' Porta-Bote, (List Price: $2395) Factory Direct Price: $1,859

Does that look about right?

Doesn't look like we have a direct dealer in the Maritimes anymore...I
haven't seen one at the Halifax boat show in a few years.
Looks like this Ontario company looks after Eastern Canada. Note his
prices.
http://www.ontarioportableboats.com/...te_prices.html

I have recently talked to Porta-Bote International, 800-227-8882. They are
not too amenable to sell directly to Canadian and have referred me to the
Ontario dealer.
I then contacted this Canadian dealer at 1-877-388-3679.

I asked about their price list and they indicated that their profit margin
was low and did offer any price reduction.

The other option would be to have the Porta-Bote shipped at frontier and
cross over with it at the Canadian Custom.

If I pay for the service of a broker, I could have it shipped directly to my
house. After a quick calculation, I concluded that, for me, the extra money
and effort were not worth it.

wrote in message
...

"Don White" wrote in message
...

"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...
wrote:


Umm... Having owned both, I can say that the Porta-Bote is every bit as
seaworthy, has more useful room for a given size boat, has a drier
ride, can be
rowed easily in a straight line, sailed or motored while full of water
without
capsizing, and planes with a very small lightweight motor. Mine eagerly
jumps up
on top of the water with a 3.5 HP motor that weighs 29 pounds. I never
have to
tow it, because I can hand launch and retrieve it without a hoist, and
it folds
up flat in a few minutes to be lashed to the lifelines. It costs half
what a blow up boat costs, and of course the motor costs a
fraction of what is required for a RIB to perform as well. I don't need
a patch
kit, either.



8' Porta-Bote, (List Price: $1895) Factory Direct Price: $1,349
10' Porta-Bote, (List Price: $1945) Factory Direct Price: $1,499
12' Porta-Bote, (List Price: $1995) Factory Direct Price: $1,599
14' Porta-Bote, (List Price: $2395) Factory Direct Price: $1,859

Does that look about right?

Doesn't look like we have a direct dealer in the Maritimes anymore...I
haven't seen one at the Halifax boat show in a few years.
Looks like this Ontario company looks after Eastern Canada. Note his
prices.
http://www.ontarioportableboats.com/...te_prices.html

I have recently talked to Porta-Bote International, 800-227-8882. They
are not too amenable to sell directly to Canadian and have referred me to
the Ontario dealer.
I then contacted this Canadian dealer at 1-877-388-3679.

I asked about their price list and they indicated that their profit margin
was low and did offer any price reduction.

The other option would be to have the Porta-Bote shipped at frontier and
cross over with it at the Canadian Custom.

If I pay for the service of a broker, I could have it shipped directly to
my house. After a quick calculation, I concluded that, for me, the extra
money and effort were not worth it.


For all that expense you could get a nice 10' Walker Bay and a light duty
galvanized boat trailer.

Don White wrote:

wrote in message
...

"Don White" wrote in message
. ..

"cavelamb himself" wrote in message
...

wrote:


Umm... Having owned both, I can say that the Porta-Bote is every bit as
seaworthy, has more useful room for a given size boat, has a drier
ride, can be
rowed easily in a straight line, sailed or motored while full of water
without
capsizing, and planes with a very small lightweight motor. Mine eagerly
jumps up
on top of the water with a 3.5 HP motor that weighs 29 pounds. I never
have to
tow it, because I can hand launch and retrieve it without a hoist, and
it folds
up flat in a few minutes to be lashed to the lifelines. It costs half
what a blow up boat costs, and of course the motor costs a
fraction of what is required for a RIB to perform as well. I don't need
a patch
kit, either.



8' Porta-Bote, (List Price: $1895) Factory Direct Price: $1,349
10' Porta-Bote, (List Price: $1945) Factory Direct Price: $1,499
12' Porta-Bote, (List Price: $1995) Factory Direct Price: $1,599
14' Porta-Bote, (List Price: $2395) Factory Direct Price: $1,859

Does that look about right?

Doesn't look like we have a direct dealer in the Maritimes anymore...I
haven't seen one at the Halifax boat show in a few years.
Looks like this Ontario company looks after Eastern Canada. Note his
prices.
http://www.ontarioportableboats.com/...te_prices.html


I have recently talked to Porta-Bote International, 800-227-8882. They
are not too amenable to sell directly to Canadian and have referred me to
the Ontario dealer.
I then contacted this Canadian dealer at 1-877-388-3679.

I asked about their price list and they indicated that their profit margin
was low and did offer any price reduction.

The other option would be to have the Porta-Bote shipped at frontier and
cross over with it at the Canadian Custom.

If I pay for the service of a broker, I could have it shipped directly to
my house. After a quick calculation, I concluded that, for me, the extra
money and effort were not worth it.



For all that expense you could get a nice 10' Walker Bay and a light duty
galvanized boat trailer.



The Walker Bay (and several other ABS boats) can be seen here...

http://www.directboats.com/boats.html

On 2008-02-24 13:30:26 -0500, "Don White" said:

For all that expense you could get a nice 10' Walker Bay

The Walker Bay in no way compares to a Portabote.

--
Jere Lull
Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD
Xan's pages: http://web.mac.com/jerelull/iWeb/Xan/
Our BVI trips & tips: http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

"Jere Lull" wrote in message
news:2008022500313050073-jerelull@maccom...
On 2008-02-24 13:30:26 -0500, "Don White" said:

For all that expense you could get a nice 10' Walker Bay

The Walker Bay in no way compares to a Portabote.

--
Jere Lull
Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD
Xan's pages: http://web.mac.com/jerelull/iWeb/Xan/
Our BVI trips & tips: http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

Jere, you may have already done it. Could you list the differences between
the Walker Bay and the Portabote which makes one better than the other.
I have a feeling that the Walker Bay may be an altered copy of the dinghy
produced by Wedco. If this is the case, the Wedco dinghy was indestructible
but did not row or tow well and not suitable to accommodate an outboard
engine.
At our club we have a few Walker Bay dinghies. I have yet see people rowing
or towing them.

On 2008-02-25 06:50:21 -0500, said:

Jere, you may have already done it. Could you list the differences between
the Walker Bay and the Portabote which makes one better than the other.
I have a feeling that the Walker Bay may be an altered copy of the dinghy
produced by Wedco. If this is the case, the Wedco dinghy was indestructible
but did not row or tow well and not suitable to accommodate an outboard
engine.

Bingo! (Though I believe the WB has a fitting for a small outboard.)
Don't believe it planes particularly well, if at all. All things
considered, I consider it roughly equivalent to a Sea Witch: Good for
beginners, but primary built for displacement speeds (which will be low
at that LWL).

At our club we have a few Walker Bay dinghies. I have yet see people
rowing or towing them.

Not sure whether you're saying you have or not have seen them rowed or
towed. I see them used mostly to get out to the mooring field, myself.

The Portabotes I see are as often rowed as powered for short distances
(up to a mile, I'd guess). They're rarely towed as it only takes a few
minutes to stow them onboard and out of the way. (I walk all over ours
without fears) They tow okay on a short tether, but will surf past the
towing boat if allowed their head.

Size for size, the WB may feel a bit more stable (I haven't done an A-B
compare), but the PB's supplied oars are longer and more substantial.
At a comfortable pace, I row ours at higher speeds than all but real
rowing dinks with proper oars, with about a boat-length between strokes.

A PB going on plane (with as little as a 2.5 Honda pushing my 200#) is
a bit odd, as the hull flexes to follow the low-pressure part of the
wave: The bottom drops out from under your feet. That *does* take some
getting used to. And watch sharp turns at high speeds as it tracks like
it's on rails; no side-slip, so it seems possible to toss unprepared
crew (or the helms-person) overboard. I've heard that the hull gets
squirrely above some speed, but at about 15 knots, the ride is
surprisingly comfortable and dry. It's flexing quite a bit on plane,
but that's how it works with the water and absorbs the waves for the
high efficiency and low bounce.

After about a dozen seasons, we've picked up a small leak in the center
seam. Hasn't developed enough that I've considered doing anything about
it, but will probably contact the factory one of these years to ask how
to fix it.

Oh, the black piping will mark fiberglass. Factory says to bronze wool
it, then put a couple of coats of Armour All or similar on it. And the
material will oxidize from so many seasons' sun. Making a cover for it
is on my to-do list, but it will buff with the usual stuff.

For a less-biased review, see:
http://www.porta-bote.com/practical.html

--
Jere Lull
Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD
Xan's pages: http://web.mac.com/jerelull/iWeb/Xan/
Our BVI trips & tips: http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/