The wind is cranking again; I’m stuck in port. So I decided to take a bike ride down to the ramp just to look around. And there in the parking lot were two guys preparing to launch a Porta-Bote.
I’m a huge fan of small crafts, of all kinds – canoes, kayaks, Gheenoes, SUPs, skiffs, prams, driftboats….etc. At the moment, my favorite is a Diablo Paddlesports Adios SOT-SUP hybrid yak. Still I have to say this Porta-Bote is pretty cool. At fourteen feet long, it is, I believe, the largest boat the company offers. The owner tells me the hull is made from a very strong plastic resin.The beam is 60″, and draws a miserly 4″ Now get this: remove the seats and the boat folds in half along the centerline. The end result you ask? A 14 foot long slab, varying in thickness from 3″-7″, and weighting around 100 pounds. Well, that means two guys could easily pick it up and stack it again a garage wall. Or even hoist it to the ceiling. Get a load of that.
The craft appears to have plenty of free-board, so I bet it rides fairly dry. And there is adequate room for two anglers to fish all day. Nice. Moreover, I have to think this thing is a snap to tow. A four cylinder car would do fine. And it would be no problem for one man to launch and retrieve this boat.
As I mentioned it is a windy day. But these guys were only taking the Porta-Bote for a short ride. Their sole mission was just to see how modification they had done were working out. Cool little boat.