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Old 07-29-2013, 03:21 PM   #1
Rspradling
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Portable Boats for RV's

I have been looking over the past few months for a boating solution that could be stored in my 3400rl. Would like to have something that would be decent for fishing/snorkeling/swimming for two to four people. I have looked at inflatables that could be the answer however worried about how long they would last. I have also looked at porta-bote, and that looks like a good option.

I guess i am wondering if anyone out there has any advice/experience with the porta-bote or an inflatable...

Thanks,

Roy
 
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Old 07-29-2013, 05:43 PM   #2
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We owned a 11 ft Zodiac inflatable boat for 20 yrs and used a 9.9 Johnson outboard motor with it. The boat had a removable wooden floor that was in sections and was fairly easy to assemble. The folded boat and wooden floor was easy to store in the trailer storage and we kept the boat motor locked in the back of the truck. After owning the Zodiac for 20 yrs we sold it to another person and I'm sure they can get another 10 yrs use out if it if they continue to maintain the boat.
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Old 07-29-2013, 05:49 PM   #3
jaybird
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Check out Advanced Elements inflatable kayaks. Top quality inflatables. I own a 15' that I bag up into my Montana
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Old 07-29-2013, 06:57 PM   #4
Carl n Susan
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I have been carrying a 12' Porta-Bote around for six years. It is perfect for fishing, crabbing and touring around. In my previous rig I stored it under the front of the RV on a set of rollers I constructed. The new rig has a dropped frame up front and there isn't room for the Bote there. I was going to suspend it under the rear of the RV but think I will try a roof rack on the truck first.
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Old 07-30-2013, 03:07 AM   #5
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I have a 12' Porta Bote with a Mercury 3.3 HP outboard and a MinnKota trolling motor. Since I just purchased a new RV and truck, I have not mounted the boat yet. I plan to mount the boat on the truck with the Porta Bote RV mounts just above one of the TV rear wheels and the motors will go on a bracket attached to the back of the TV. It will not fit under the RV with the dropped frame and the spare tire in the rear.

On my old Dodge 1-ton dually, I had a head rack and a portable roof rack positioned just aft of the clearance lights. I tied the boat to the head rack, the portable roof rack, and then tied the front of the porta bote to my deer catcher on the front of my truck. Fit well, and well clear of the Monty.
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Old 07-30-2013, 03:16 AM   #6
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Ah yes, portable boats. I had a Boats/US Seaworthy inflatable for about 10 years. It was the dingy for my cruising boats. It was surprisingly rugged, given that it was run ashore and bounced off barnacle infested pilings often during that time. I never punctured it. I will say if you get an inflatable, get the best electric power inflater you can find, preferably one that not only inflates but deflates as well. If it plugs into a cigarette lighter plug, it's not powerful enough. Get one that has #10 wire and clamps directly to your battery. You'll be glad you spent the $100 or so. Stomping on the supplied foot pump is a heart attack waiting to happen.

On the Port-A-Boat. One of the boat buddies bought one. It's like a giant clam shell waiting to slam shut on you until you get the assembly/dis-assembly process nailed down. After that, about ten times, it looked to be a sturdy boat. Storing and transporting is an issue you'll have to deal with as you explore the many different possibilities that are part of the rigid boat, even though it folds somewhat flat, it still takes some ingenuity to hang it on a 5er.
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Old 07-30-2013, 08:37 AM   #7
Gorgeguy
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One to stay away from is the Tuck Tech folding canoe, http://www.topratedadventures.com/Mfg/Tucktech.htm. I got one and am very dissappointed with it. When paddling with a canoe paddle, each stroke of the paddle produces almost a 90 degree direction change. I fabricated oar locks so both sides would be pulling or pushing at the same time but still was not very happy with it. On the positive side, it was easy to store and set up though. That all being said, I will make someone a heck of a deal if they are interested.
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Old 07-30-2013, 02:40 PM   #8
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Check out Sea eagle inflatables also
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Old 07-30-2013, 02:53 PM   #9
Rspradling
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Captain Joe- How well does the 3.3 hp move that boat? Will it plane? Approx mph?
DPAM-- How was performance of your zodiac? Did it plane with the 9.9?

Thanks all for responses.. May have made decision harder, but at least well informed. Good to know some inflatables will last 20 years (that is impressive)...

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Old 07-30-2013, 10:25 PM   #10
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Remember sunlight causes the ruin of the inflatable strength more than people realize. Keeping it out of the sun when not being used will extend the life of
the inflatable. I would also suggest that you get the lightest engine possible in the horsepower class you wish to use. You are the one that has to carry it.
If you find the engine you want and you're unhappy with the speed get another prop with a different pitch, that may help increase the speed. Good Luck.
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Old 07-31-2013, 02:27 AM   #11
Captain Joe
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Roy, Just got the motor and have not had it out, yet, with my switching vehicles and RVs. Before, I was just using the trolling motor. The 3.5 is the maximum that you can put on the 12' porta bote due to the transom weight limit. Sorry, I did not have more info for you.
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Old 07-31-2013, 05:04 AM   #12
Carl n Susan
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Captain Joe


>snip>
...The 3.5 is the maximum that you can put on the 12' porta bote due to the transom weight limit....
Not exactly. Porta-Bote limits the weight of the gas motor to 56 lbs. on a 12' Bote. http://www.porta-bote.com/dimension.php This translates to a 6 H.P. 4-stroke motor. The 3.5 is OK on a 10' Bote but I think you will be disappointed using it on a 12'. RPHoward had one on his 12' and while it would move OK with one person on board and no baggage, it was really doggy with two people and fishing gear. The 6 H.P. will get up and plane at a good speed with the same load. The difference in weight between the 3.5 and the 6 H.P. is minimal and both are under 56 lbs.
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Old 07-31-2013, 05:14 AM   #13
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Inflatables have come a long way in the past several years. If you get on-line you can find some really good deals. If you get one without a solid floor it should store easily. The interesting issue is where to store the outboard.
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Old 07-31-2013, 10:47 AM   #14
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I have a couple of Sea Eagle kayak's, 12'. They store nice but are as stable as one might like for fishing. They are fun and take up no more room than a medium/large suitcase.
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Old 07-31-2013, 11:17 AM   #15
Captain Joe
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Carl n Susan

Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Captain Joe


>snip>
...The 3.5 is the maximum that you can put on the 12' porta bote due to the transom weight limit....
Not exactly. Porta-Bote limits the weight of the gas motor to 56 lbs. on a 12' Bote. http://www.porta-bote.com/dimension.php This translates to a 6 H.P. 4-stroke motor. The 3.5 is OK on a 10' Bote but I think you will be disappointed using it on a 12'. RPHoward had one on his 12' and while it would move OK with one person on board and no baggage, it was really doggy with two people and fishing gear. The 6 H.P. will get up and plane at a good speed with the same load. The difference in weight between the 3.5 and the 6 H.P. is minimal and both are under 56 lbs.
I don't know what 4-stroke you are referencing. The Yamaha is 60 pounds dry weight and the Mercury, which claims to have the lightest, is 57 pounds dry weight. If you leave the gas and oil on the shore, I guess you can by with the Mercury.
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Old 07-31-2013, 01:57 PM   #16
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Captain Joe


I don't know what 4-stroke you are referencing. The Yamaha is 60 pounds dry weight and the Mercury, which claims to have the lightest, is 57 pounds dry weight. If you leave the gas and oil on the shore, I guess you can by with the Mercury.
If you call Porta-Bote (if you are lucky Sandy, the owner, will answer) and ask what size motor you can use on the various sizes, they will recommend the 6 H.P. Suzuki or Mercury/Tohatsu/Nissan (all three manufactured by Tohatsu) for the 12'. The 6 H.P. motors have an external tank as an option (the on board tank is too small to be practical). I actually have been using an 8 H.P. Honda for many years on the Bote. At 89 lbs. it well exceeds the recommended weight. RPHoward has been using a 6 H.P. Nissan for the same amount of time. The Honda will out run the Nissan, due to the extra H.P., but not by much.

But don't trust me, call Porta-Bote ((650) 961-5334 Monday through Friday Between 9 am and 2 pm PACIFIC TIME.) and talk to them.

We do a lot of crabbing on the Oregon coast. We originally used an inflatable but found the flotation tubes take up a *LOT* of interior room. Two people, traps, bait and misc. extras (PFDs, oars, etc.) require room that didn't exist. The Bote's interior space is just slightly less than the exterior dimensions. Much more useable space for us. YMMV

We have been using these Botes for six years
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Old 08-01-2013, 02:49 AM   #17
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I understand and I already called Sandy before I purchased my 3.5. I did not want a separate gas tank. Too much stuff on the floor of the boat already. As stated in my previous post, I also have a 30# thrust trolling motor on the transom and do not want to extremely exceed the weight limit. This is what I discussed with Sandy and we concluded that the 3.5 would be the best option for my use. I also did not want to recommend that people put a motor on their boat that would exceed the transom limit. Being a fishing guide, I am sensitive to liability issues. My use for my boat are very small lakes and ponds and an occasional float trip down a river. Take care and tight lines. This is my old setup on my old truck and RV.

http://x.co/1WVE1
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Old 08-01-2013, 04:37 AM   #18
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I bought a 12' Porta-Bote years ago.. It's never been in the water. Came with a sailing kit too.. If anyone is interested, let me know. I don't plan on using it. Also have an Evenrude 4hp that has never seen the water (except for the initial test in a barrel)

When I bought mine, P-B said 6hp was max but the 4 was more than adequate. That's what I went with and why. I remember when I was doing commercial fishing and I wanted to put a larger engine in my boat (faster). The guru's said.. it MIGHT make the boat go a tad faster.. but, the speed was really determined by the hull. This was a wise comment. Saved weight and fuel.

Nice thing about these boats is that P-B sells an accessory that allows the boat to be hung on the side of the RV if you have a side w/o slides
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Old 08-01-2013, 05:10 AM   #19
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I had a 12ft. aluminum boat so I got a over the cab boat loader. I have since upgraded to a 14ft. We can carry 2 adults and 2 grandchildren. Most of the time I can lower the boat right into the water. As you can see from the picture how the boat is carried.
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Old 08-01-2013, 11:31 AM   #20
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We also have a Sea Eagle inflatable Kayak that can handle Class IV rapids (but not with me in it). They also have many other types other than Kayaks. Check-em out online. They used to have a 180 day return policy.
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