Potabote How much? any good?

[Martin Salisbury]

Those who have got the portabote is it any good or are there any better?

[Paul_D]

I was interested in one of these myself but baulked at the cost. All the advertising blarney seems convincing and I've never seen one for sale secondhand and apparently they've sold loads in this country so this also points to the owners being satisfied with them.

 

I've watched countless repeats of 'Go Fishing' on the Discovery channel but can recall one episode where JW carried an unknown, to me, type of portable wooden boat to a lake. The episode showed you how he assembled it and it looked quite good albeit smaller and, presumably, heavier than a Portabote. I've never seen this episode repeated though...

[Spindle]

I too would like to know the cost. Here are some alternatives though...

 

http://www.seahopper.co.uk/

[Tim Kelly]

I think the sea hopper is the one from the John Wilson episode. I picked up one of their small 6'6" models a few weeks ago from an ad on the internet. They are dead expensive new but I got this one for a good price.

I went out in a Portabote earlier in the week with a friend who owns it. It's the 12ft model and two of us lure fished out of it comfortably. I haven't tried fishing out of my little one yet, I think it may really be too small, but great for those profitable lure retrieving days!

I think the bote is around £1500 for the 12ft model, considering the saving on trailers and possible storage on a normal boat I think it is a fair price. The piggy bank is swinging into action, I just have nothing to feed it with at the moment!

[Elton]

There appears to be one of the type that JW used for sale here. Don't forget to mention AN if you contact the seller

 

Tight lines,

 

Elton

[Scott]

Have a look at http://www.portabote.com/

 

PortaBotes are supplied and distributed in the UK by IntraMore Ltd. in Lowestoft. Contact details are:

 

IntraMore Ltd., 28 Regent Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR32 1PB

Tel/Fax: 01502 583844 Mobile: 07990 554292

Email: RCJackson@CompuServe.com or jjackson@intramore.fsnet.co.uk

 

PortaBote UK Price List (at January 2002 – includes VAT @ 17.5%)

 

PORTABOTES

8’ (2.6m) FOLDING PORTABOTE

Pearl white or drab green colour hulls

£1363

 

10’ (3.2m) FOLDING PORTABOTE

Pearl white, drab green or aluminium colour hulls

£1469

 

12’ (3.8m) FOLDING PORTABOTE

Pearl white, drab green or aluminium colour hulls

£1598

 

 

PORTABOTE ACCESSORIES

 

PAIR OARS AND ROWLOCKS

folding/floatable – custom made for PortaBotes

£92

 

SAILING KIT

complete with sail and all accessories for sailing

£643

 

BOW TROLLING MOUNT

for bow mounting an electric motor for trolling

£61

 

PORTA-DOLLY

for ease of wheeling an assembled boat over a distance

£212

 

PORTA-SHADE

bimini-type boat shade – one size fits any boat

£167

 

PAIR RV MOUNTS

for fixing a folded boat hull to a wall or campervan

£135

 

PAIR CARTOP STRAPS

to strap a folded hull to a car roof or roof rack

£53

 

 

OTHER ACCESSORIES

 

OUTBOARD MOTOR 5.0HP

2-stroke Mercury – internal and separate fuel tanks

£749

 

OUTBOARD MOTOR 3.3HP

2-stroke Mercury – internal fuel tank

£453

 

ELECTRIC MOTOR ELT3500

36lbs thrust Mercury

£253

 

DELUXE BOAT SEAT

straps to existing thwart/seat for greater comfort

£99

 

HANDIRACK ROOF RACK

Inflatable roof rack

£52

 

 

Not cheap, might be worth looking at an inflatable instead.

 

Scott.

[Martin Salisbury]

Hmmm , you're right not cheap espcially with all the accessories.

 

Decided I'm going to go and nick one of the many boats led around Windermere!

 

(Only joking - before somebody reports me to my professional body before I even qualify!

[Peter Waller]

Interestingly I live in Lowestoft and I've yet to see one of these boats in use locally! Might be brillient but at a price, or so it seems. Just look at the price of a new Orkney Spinner for example. Maybe it isn't such a bad deal. Me, I go for second hand!

[chesters1]

seems a lot of money especially for the bits to use it, a sailing rig when we first started boat fishing we used to take a couple of 8ft "toy" inflatables to bognor in my scooter and sidecar,fish from them in the day (we used to launch them by holding them infront of us and jumping into the sea from the wall at butlins (my mate then passed all the tackle to me then he jumped ,at night we slept on them (in the little triangular green that was infront of the odd selection of caravans and train carriages between butlins and the sailing club) i even put a sail on mine (a square rig one ,ideal for going one way ) inexpensive but fun ,we then upgraded to an ex army inflateable with a 8hp engine thats where the fun part started to leave

[Scott]

This might come in handy.

 

 

They have more at http://www.inflatable-boats.co.uk/

 

Scott.