| Porta
Bote Genesis Series
Reviewed
by Allan Burgess
The
Porta-Bote is a brilliant idea! But like any new idea
it takes a bit of getting used to at first. Actually,
the Porta-Bote isn't exactly a new idea at all. These
craft have been manufactured in the United States,
and sold around the world for over 30 years. Over
which time almost 50,000 have been sold! They have
also been around in New Zealand for some time as well,
but chances are you haven't seen one yet.
When
the Porta-Bote first arrived by courier truck, I must
admit to being a little concerned about how time consuming
it was going to be to put together!
I
also wondered about the durability and toughness of
a boat that could be folded into such a small package!
We
quickly removed the extensive packing and set about
assembling the 12' 6" model on our front lawn. Having
never even seen one before, other than in a photograph,
we were delighted to discover that the whole job took
little more than 15 minutes. With practice it was
easy to see that this time could be reduced considerably.
Disassembly took us just four minutes.
The
whole boat is locked together with stainless steel
lockpins, bolts and wingnuts - you don't even need
a spanner.
As
you can see in the pictures the Porta-Bote is put
together by first "opening" the hull. It is spring-loaded
to some extent, and so requires you to hold it open
with your leg until you get the centre seat in place.
According to the instructions, the Porta-Bote hull
is stiffer in cooler weather and so requires more
effort to open.
With
the middle seat in place it is a simple matter to
bolt the transom inside the bladder, and then insert
the two remaining seats. The whole business is simplicity
itself. Even if you were no good at making model aeroplanes
as a kid, I can promise you that you'll have no trouble
at all with this.
We
couldn't wait to try the Porta-Bote out and were soon
off to the Kaiapoi River.
The
Porta-Bote hull is designed to fold down to a package
just 4'' thick, and so can easily be transported on
a car roof-rack.
Space
saving on storage is another obvious advantage of
being able to fold the Porta-Bote down to such a convenient
package. It would be ideal for anyone living in a
high-rise apartment, or townhouse, because it could
be stored against the inside wall of your garage,
or tied to the rafters, unlike a tinnie. You neighbours
wouldn't even know you had a boat!
Assembly
at the Kaiapoi boat ramp soon drew a small crowd of
interested onlookers. Our earlier practice on the
front lawn paid off and we had the Porta-Bote together
in no time flat. The
hull itself weighs about 68lbs. When you add on the
seats and transom, it was still light enough for two
people to carry down to the water. You could
also drag the fully assembled Porta-Bote on your own
if you wanted to, though there is a handy two wheel
Porta-Dolly available so you can get to "out of the
way places" that you couldn't drive to.
The
hull is made from UV Buffered Copolymer Polypropylene
1/4" thick. The colour runs right the way through
so any scratches don't show. This hull material
is incredibly strong. It is unaffected by: sunlight,
saltwater, acid, and won't even burn! Most importantly
the hull is resistant to even the sharpest rocks that
would puncture the hull of a tinnie!
Once
on the water it was soon obvious why Porta-Bote has
been so successful over the past quarter century.
It handles extremely well. It is a pleasure to row,
even for someone as rusty as I am on the oars. The
oars are foam filled to make them float if dropped
overboard.
During
later "testing" on Lake Selfe, in the Canterbury high
country, I soon came to appreciate just how easy this
craft is to row. On this lake you're not permitted
to troll with a motor so I had a go at rowing instead.
The action of a lure when trolled behind a rowed boat
is much more lifelike than when using an outboard.
I hadn't rowed far when a giant rainbow erupted out
of the water quite some distance behind us. I let
go of the oars and gabbed for my rod. This big fish
rocketed up out of the water several more times in
quick succession before my lure snapped off at the
knot. "Never mind," I thought, "there are plenty more
in here!" And so it was, my son Stephen and I caught
and kept a fish each as the evening progressed.
At
Lake Selfe we also discovered another important feature
of the Porta-Bote: our muddy boots made an awful mess
on the floor of the hull but this washed straight
off later with the hose! The
seats are covered with thick foam, as is the inside
top of the hull. This material gives the Porta Bote
considerably extra buoyancy. It will still float even
when full of water. The foam covered seats are also
very comfortable to sit on.
Under
power with our 5 hp Johnson outboard the 12'6" model
flew along. The manufacturer claims speeds up to 20
mph with a 5 hp outboard. I don't doubt this for a
second.
It
maintains excellent directional stability under power
as a result of its deep keel design. It is also worth
noting that it floats in just four inches of water.
What
a great boat this is. For me it is just ideal for
fishing on lakes around the South Island. It is particularly
suited to fishing Lakes Lyndon, Selfe, Georgina, Evelyn,
Pearson, Taylor, and Katrine, in the Canterbury high
country, were the regulations do not permit fishing
from boats that are being mechanically propelled.
The
Porta-Bote enables access on these and other South
Island lakes and rivers where otherwise shore access
is difficult. The West Coast has many waters that
features native bush to the shore line. At these places
even the most modest craft is a huge asset. The Arnold
River, and Lake Poerua instantly come to mind as being
ideally suited to fish with the Porta-Bote. These
delightful waters are almost unfishable from shore.
Holiday
anglers in the Marlborough Sounds could also make
great use of a Porta-Bote for sea fishing. Wetting
a line for a snapper just off shore is a very pleasant
experience indeed! It
would also be a great little craft for: whitebaiting,
setting a mullet net, or as a ship-to-shore dinghy.
You can even use it as a sailboat!
The
travelling angler will also greatly appreciate not
having to tow a trailer everywhere they go, instead
either carrying their Porta-Bote on a roof rack, or
strapped to the side of their camper van.
Some
Canterbury anglers also use their Porta-Bote for salmon
fishing. The method is to launch at the gorge, and
drift downstream, stopping to fish likely looking
holes on the way. I can't wait to give this a go myself.
It would also be a good boat to cross the rivermouth
lagoons when salmon fishing.
Overall
the Porta-Bote provides just the right balance of
portability, fishability, and excellent design.
Our
score: Highly recommended!
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