FoldAway 8

mitiempo · Dec 2, 2013

It looks good. Looks like the original small Porta-Bote that isn't made any more. As long as it is well made it should last a long time. Porta-Botes are almost indestructible.

http://www.southamptonboatshow.com/..._at_the_show/boat_profile.aspx?objectid=39223

paul1938 · Dec 2, 2013

portaboat vs foldaway

djwaudio said:
Ahoy,

I'm new to this so please excuse any breach of protocol.

I'm curious about the FoldAway 8 tender.

Anyone?

Doug
Cape Dory 30 MKII

I have the 10'8" portabote & could not be happier. The nice thing about the flat aft[?] is; you can easily attach an outboard[i have the Torqeedo electric] and even more important it has more room.

Delezynski · Dec 2, 2013

We carry an 8 foot Portaboat aboard Guenevere, our Nor'Sea 27. The first one lasted us about 13 ~ 15 years in direct sun even in the tropics. We are VERY happy with ours and just bought our second one to finally replace the first. As was said, it almost indestructible!

MUCH better than a deflatable! Our 3.5 HP To-hot-to will plane it with one person on board.

You can see how we store ours on our Youtube page. On the side deck for passage and up for overnight storage. We also posted a short video of using a Torqeedo on it at;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lxXKGqvs_8&feature=share

Greg

Benny17441 · Dec 2, 2013

It all boils down to adequacy for the anticipated use. Like anything else it is a compromise. It has it's advantages and disadvantages. Consider useful life, ease of setup, stability, flotation, weight carrying capacity, storage space requirement, price, parts availability and manufacturers product support. Other than setup, I would say it behaves like a rigid so back to the old dilemma, inflatable or rigid?

mitiempo · Dec 2, 2013

The FoldAway 8 is made in the UK and is not made by Ports-Bote but is very similar in its construction. It is made for or by the company that sells Porta-Botes in the UK.
http://www.nestawayboats.com/index.htm

mitiempo · Dec 2, 2013

Benny17441 said:
It all boils down to adequacy for the anticipated use. Like anything else it is a compromise. It has it's advantages and disadvantages. Consider useful life, ease of setup, stability, flotation, weight carrying capacity, storage space requirement, price, parts availability and manufacturers product support. Other than setup, I would say it behaves like a rigid so back to the old dilemma, inflatable or rigid?

True but it is a rigid that folds flat, maybe the best of all worlds. The disadvantage of a rigid dinghy is storage space and weight - this solves both of those issues.

Bob 04 H260 · Dec 2, 2013

How is the stability of these folding boats ? We have a small dog and often have to stand up in the dinghy and lift the dog over our head with both hands up on to a seawall or dock. We started with a small fiberglass dinghy but after being dumped in the water a few times moved on to an inflatable with a airdeck floor. Often wondered what these folding boats would be like to stand up in and walk around.

Bob

Delezynski · Dec 2, 2013

Bob 04 H260 said:
How is the stability of these folding boats ? We have a small dog and often have to stand up in the dinghy and lift the dog over our head with both hands up on to a seawall or dock. We started with a small fiberglass dinghy but after being dumped in the water a few times moved on to an inflatable with a airdeck floor. Often wondered what these folding boats would be like to stand up in and walk around.

Bob

I stand in ours all the time. It's not as stable (tipping wise) as a deflatable unless you rig up dinghy dogs on it. Then it's the best. I have tied our fenders on the sides and it acts like an inflatable.

Greg