Follow-up Porta-bote Review and Aftermath
February 23rd, 2007 by: cheyenneWe had held out posting our 1.3-year dinghy review until we heard back from Porta-bote on our inquiry regarding warranties (so we could include at least one piece of useful information for our “used porta-bote”-Googling friends). Since they didn’t respond, we just posted the review anyway and mentioned that Porta-bote was not being expedient about getting back to us (with a palpable note of irritation). We again emailed Porta-bote, this time to ask about outboards since we were looking to possibly buy a 9.8 Tohatsu and the company used to deal Tohatsu outboards, and we got a fantastically prompt response. So Joshua responded once more asking if they had received our previous email regarding the Porta-bote and if there was a warranty; again, no response. A couple days later, Joshua responded with an irritated ‘curious-you-respond-so-fast-to-a-potential-sales-lead -but-not-to-a-warranty-inquiry’ and gave the URL for the bote review blog post, in case they were interested. Within one hour, a lengthy rebuttal was posted to the blog by Sandy, the president of Porta-bote. Of course, I had to type out my lengthy response to his very defensive response, and well you know how it goes. And he still hadn’t answered our question as to whether there was a warranty.
But at last Sandy has responded to my response to his initial response and has confirmed that yes, there is a one-year warranty on the plastic seats and transom. He also added: “if you treated an aluminum or fiberglass or inflatable dinghy the way you described treating your poor porta-bote so vividly in your blog, you wouldn’t have a dinghy left to say nasty things about. 59,989 owners can’t be wrong! Yeah for Porta-Bote!” Which, for one: I have to say I’m surprised to hear he read so extensively in my blog because I only described one incident where the bote took a wave that trashed the transom. Another: what makes him think we treated our bote poorly? By exposing it to the harsh sun? By using the rowing set-up? By actually taking it in the ocean? That an inflatable or hard dinghy of another material would have survived the abuse we supposedly lash upon our poor bote is false, as any owner of such a dinghy could verify. And did I really say anything nasty? I feel I wrote a fair and constructive review.
But back to the warranty; our bote is 1.3 years old (although the seats broke at around 9ish months and the transom at 11 months), yet Sandy has generously offered to replace our seats and transom at no cost. We sent a reply asking to have the seats and transom shipped to my mom’s house so we could pick them up next time we visited but never got a response. Two weeks later and about when we had given up of every hearing from Porta-bote again, Mom sends me an email saying that a tall box full of some weird black plastic things just arrived!
So there you have it: all you broken transom/seat bote owners (provided you are in the US) can get replacements if it’s been less than a year. If it’s been more than that, well, I guess you have to assert yourself as a major pain in the ass to get any response.
Links to our other posts on the subject of Porta-Bote.
1.3-Year Porta-Bote and Kayak Review
Porta-bote Redux Redux
Porta-bote Again
March 2nd, 2007 at 6:39 am
Based on reports from the people who contacted me, a common source of failure seems to be when the Porta-Bote is decelerated quickly from wide open throttle. The weight and momentum from the outboard under these circumstances is greater the the transom is designed to withstand.
March 4th, 2007 at 9:37 am
Well—all I can say is the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Glad you bugged them about this. We will keep the new seats and transom safe and dry in the garage. –Mom
March 23rd, 2007 at 8:30 pm
So are you happy with your porta-bote
i have a new 14 foot.
open seas are not goood for this bote??
Jeff
have fun
March 30th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Your 14 footer is probably a lot more seaworthy than our 10 foot model. However, seaworthiness is a matter of opinion. I wouldn’t go out in any real weather in it. For example we just came across the bay here at Isla Guanaja, Honduras. It’s blowing 25+ and there is a mile or two of fetch. It’s pretty hairy. If we took a wave it would be almost impossible to self rescue. It depends on your own comfort level. It will never compare to a 14 foot inflatable as far as seaworthiness is concerned. The coast guard uses those for a reason.
We’re happy with it because it meets our expectations for performance. It rows well and we don’t like to put the motor on it all the time. A majority of cruisers always moter anyway. If you fall into this catagory an inflatable would probably be a better choice.
May 2nd, 2007 at 6:29 pm
I have an 8 footer I bought about 6 years ago. I started out with an electric trolling motor and it worked just fine. Until one day……I was about a half mile offshore spearfishing, some weather came in and my battery was dead. To my surprise rowing the portabote in 4 to 6 ft waves was difficult but not unbearable. It handled well for such a small and light weight craft. Unfortunatly the pressure on the seat placed by my body from rowing broke the middle support. I never bothered to get it replaced. The seat still holds my weight and keeps the boat open, even with a broken support. I know eventually this will cause other problems, but I am still holding out. Now I have a 3.5 Tohatsu which I purchased from Portabote, and still run a mile or two offshore on calm days. Overall, for the price, this is a pretty damn good little bote.
May 17th, 2007 at 7:59 am
[…] So, fine. We requested information on warranty once upon a time. Sandy replied saying although our seats were out of warranty, we pissed him off enough that Porta-Bote would send replacement seats/transom anyway, just to make us feel bad happy. So we gave an address and a few weeks later they appear, unannounced (that is, until after they arrived), but appreciated. We sent a thank you email. AND we posted a follow-up to our blog explaining what Porta-bote offers as seat/transom warranty and what they were doing for us. Done. Everyone’s happy. Whatever! […]
May 24th, 2007 at 8:10 am
Update: Replacement seats and transom arrived but there was NO transom. Only seats. I am assuming this was unintentional but I’m still pretty bummed out since the transom was the really badly broken part and the piece that prompted us in the first place to contact Porta-Bote about possible warranty.
June 21st, 2007 at 9:46 am
[…] is a follow up to older stories: 1.3-Year Porta-Bote and Kayak Review Follow-up Porta-bote Review and Aftermath Porta-bote Redux […]
June 27th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
I had a similar problem with my transom, transom where the motor mounted cracked after I use it couple times with a small gas motor. I contacted Porta Bote and was told that it was my fault because I used a wrong (older) motor. I was told that out of 70,000+ Bote sold I was the only one that have a transom problem. I finally talked to the manufacturer and was told that a reinforement bracket was added to the transom since I bought it. They finally COD me a scratch-up transom after I bugged them long enough.
By the way, I think the reinforcement bracket helps but not enough because it is in the wrong place (at the bottom instead of at the top). Transom should be redesigned with a different manufacturing process if they really want to fix the problem.
June 29th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
how is the port a bote now
i still have my 14 thinking about selling it
Jeff
August 28th, 2007 at 9:38 am
Sounds to me like you might be better off making your own transom from marine plywood. A couple 3/4 inch pieces glued together and drilled to mount in the plastic transoms stead would probably solve this for good. I know they’re heavier, but weight and strength are sometimes tradeoffs. Short of building a transon using carbon fiber or kevlar…
September 6th, 2007 at 9:24 am
[…] Follow-up Porta-bote Review and Aftermath Porta-bote Redux Redux Porta-bote again […]
September 28th, 2007 at 1:50 am
I have a different problem, and am looking to see if others have had that. I had a wooden transom, so no problem there, but the so-called “bladder” (the folding bit that keeps the water out)has split virtually from top to bottom on one diagonal fold. It has had only light use and never been stressed out(I only used a Min-Kota electric motor, and mostly just rowed), so the only possibility is that it was unfit for the purpose. It is my belief that it was never properly “hinged”, so that each folding operation stressed it out further until it failed from fatigue. There is a ten-year warranty on the hull, but (based on the details of that), the only deal Sandy would give me (the boat is only 5 years old) would cost me about £650, which is too much. Additionally, he suggested “somthing may have slammed into that area”; this is nonsense because it would have left visible stress marks (white on the green)and becaause I know that did not happen. Please contact bote.miller@ntlworld.com if you have any relevant information.
August 3rd, 2008 at 11:29 pm
I am fishing the rivers and inlets here in Alaska and saw the Porta-Bote as a practical boat for my purpose. But having read the above comments I’m left with the feeling that the company doesn’t give a damn about its customers or its warranty. Considering the cost of these things one would hope the company was more prompt to satisfy a sold customer. I’ve always had good performance from AVON Inflatables….
August 6th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
I have been researching this boat because of it being so portable. I was interested in getting the 14′ model but after reading about how the company handles their customers in this review, I am definitely changing my mind and will be letting my friends know as well who were also interested in this boat.
August 29th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
I am looking at the 12ft porta for fishing (standing up flicking lures) with 1 or 2 in the boat. Mainly river mouths and generally sheltered water. On a good day some open ocean stuff. Probably use a 6hp 4 stroke.
Interested in any comments about the stability of the craft and ease of fishing/ maneuverability
Thanks
September 18th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Hello Porta-Bote friends,
I have read the comments above and this is my reaction. We are the Porta-Bote distributor
for the Netherlands, Belgium and France for over 15 years now. Of course during this time we have had also a few customers with a warranty case. Just as it will be with any other product.
But I can say that we have had no troubles at all with Porta-Bote USA regarding the warranty. We always could satisfy our customers again.
It is always so pity that only the customers with a bad experiance show their problems and all the customers who are satisfied you never hear. As you can read above it is also always that the negative people are often to believed more than all the positive and happy one’s.
Therefore,..happy owners. Please identify yourself. It must be more than 95%!!
Many happy watersport and fishing time wishes to all Porta-Bote owners.
GB trading – The Netherlands
October 17th, 2008 at 10:12 am
Well, I’m not sure where to begin . . .
First of all, I would like to thank Cheyenne & Joshua for this blog . . . without it I would not have “squeaked my wheel” so loudly in defense of the Porta-bote that my husband and I own.
We recently discovered a crack in the fold of the bladder and contacted Sandy to find out what we should do. Shipping from Texas to California and back to Texas would be quite expensive–we both agreed. So, he suggested something called Scotch Weld . . . but I wasn’t sure . . . so I did a little research and that’s when I found this blog and a group on Yahoo called PortabotersWorldWide –http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PortaBotersWorldWide/. I started a post on this Yahoo Group to see what others thought and told everyone that Sandy said this is not a problem he’s heard of before–just like he told me on the phone when we first spoke. He of course denied this on the Group and tried to turn it all around on me: I never sent the pictures of the damage like I said I would, I refused to ship the boat back, etc., etc., etc.
The moral of the story is: Sandy is sending us a new hull . . . even though he doesn’t think we deserve it. Basically he wants me to hush up and in turn he looks like a respectable business man who went above and beyond to make the ungrateful customer happy. ((And he did in this instance–just like he did for Cheyenne and Joshua–but I believe it was solely because he was being held accountable in a semi-public setting where others would know the outcome.)) I’ve received some flack from other Porta-Bote owners for being a whiner and disrespectful, etc., etc., etc. You know that saying, “when you walk a mile in my shoes”? What a painful walk this has been! All in all, I think everything turned out okay. And I feel good knowing I didn’t lie or cheat to get justice!
I love the Porta-Bote and don’t intend on tarnishing its name. And for the record, thank you Sandy for sending us a new hull. We are truly appreciative.
January 19th, 2009 at 8:56 am
Interesting reading. I had similar dealings with the company. Short version: hull arrived damaged in shipping. The damage was not visible until it was unpacked. Sandy gave me a load of attitude about not marking the damage on the bill of lading (The damage wasn’t visible???). They replaced the hull. I was insulted & bitter and tried to sell the boat. Couldn’t sell it, so now I use it and like it. Good product – good service – poor packaging – poor interpersonal skills.
January 20th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
Hi Angus,
I am glad to hear your hull was replaced . . . too bad it was not without a fight.
Sandy has replaced our hull since I last posted here. I believe we received it around Thanksgiving (2008). We agreed to send in a sample portion of the bladder so it could be analyzed by an offsite company. He recently let me know that the offsite company has downsized and doesn’t do that sort of work anymore. But his own company analyzed it and he says it passed inspection.
I would rather fess up and say we did batter or abuse our bote but that was never the case. Our damage started at the seam of the bote . . . not a random crack caused by trauma.
However, I am thankful he did replace the hull . . . but it was a pretty painful process . . . and I was left feeling like an exploited/complaining customer. But, oh well, what do you do???
Good luck to you and your Portabote. I hope you get to enjoy using yours as much as we have ours.
April 8th, 2009 at 11:25 am
Well, it sounds like porta-bote is having some growing pains but the end result is still a good product. I’m a first time buyer looking to purchase probably in May.
I don’t think this is the kind of craft that was meant to be tied up all day , day after day on a dock …. I understand you go out, use it … come back, give it a wash off fold it and store it inside somewhere.
April 18th, 2009 at 12:04 am
Wau
I have a sailboat and look for a foldable sturdy and reliable dinghy whith which I can row in all conditons as it is the main power to propell us. I owned an old Banana Boot in Europe but disliked it as it was difficult to open up and the Sail and its rigging was useless. I wonder if PortaBoate is the same product? I am furhter really pissed to read about the CEO and his behavior pattern. When I buy a product, any product, and it fails due to weak parts or whatever I demand in all fairness a honest description as to what the products really can stand up to and mostly I expect excellent customer service, each and every time. I have a similar experience with the CEO of Pudget and shy away from good products because the owners or Managers had once a great idea but have no decency and courtesy to understand how to deal with clients.
Andy
April 20th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Well … Mr. Wau, few companies offer a 10 year warranty on their product ( try that with a 52″ LCD TV )… I think it’s great the CEO is able to email you and chat with you about the product. ( very rare these days ) …. he is even willing to take the time out to speak to you on the phone ( real time !! ) …..ALSO we see the CEO himself trying to keep everyone happy even though some folks may have abused their bote. Contrary to popular belief the public is not easy to work with. It appears that Porta-Bote ( made in america ? ) is doing their best to offer a quality product and Sandy deserves an A+ for effort and patience. I hope to be purchasing one soon!!
June 24th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Tahnk
June 24th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Whoops. THANKS to all who posted here. I have called them once as prospective customer and the sense I got on the phone was very similar to the complaints here. I got the sense that they were interested in the sale, but may not come through with the service. Of course one call does not an accurate judgment make. Hence my jumping on the web to check. There are plenty of other companies who will provide good service. These posts have the ring of believability and really does turn me away from picking one up.
September 23rd, 2009 at 5:44 pm
I have a two year old 12ft Porta Bote with a 3.5 Mercury. The second time I had it out was on a lake fishing. My wife caught a trout and was bringing the fish close to the boats starboard side so I could net the fish. I leaned over the side with a hand net to net the fish, at which time the boat overturned. As I leaned over to net the fish I was aware of the starboard side of the transum dipped under the water, that was all it took, there was no recovery. I flopped into the water imemdiately and my wife, who was seated on the center portion of the center seat, was catapulted over me and into the water. We were drifting with the motor in netural and there was slight wind with 6 to 8 foot chop. I could think of no reason for the boat to have overturned other than simply leaning over to net the fish. My wife suffered hypothermia and a mild heart attack as a result of falling into the freezing water and remaining in the water for twenty minutes until we were rescued. The boat was fully submerged except for the first foot of the bow was out of the water, hardly enough to hang onto without pushing the bow under as well. I haven’t used the boat sense. The boat was highly advertized and un-tipable and un-sinkable on their website. As a result of my incident, the Porta Bote site was changed in the stability section. Has any one else had stability or tipover issues? Needless to say, my boat is for sale.
October 19th, 2009 at 5:00 am
I have been using Porta-Bote 12ft with my 5hp Nissan Engine since last 6 years, I can say this is an amazing boat, and today we have a porta-boters club and we really have best of fun.. It would have been extreamly difficult with inflatables and other traditional boat. Hey check out this site folks..
http://www.portaboteme.com they have put some nice testimonials.
October 19th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
Sarah: We used email because we were in Panama.
October 20th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Hi Folks,
Looks like our comments were cut off.
Sandy Kaye
President
Porta-Bote International
January 30th, 2010 at 10:44 pm
I bought a used 1998 12 foot Portabote about eight to ten years ago. It had the original wooden seats and transom unitl 2005 when I replaced the seats with the plastic seats. They said the plastic transom wouldn’t work on my model so I built my own replacement transom with marine plywood though it needs replacing again after 5 years. Sounds like I will be making another with the past comments on the plastic transom’s reliability. Not only that but looking for parts on their web site is not easy…couldn’t find a way to do it. I spoke to a saleman at a sportsman’s show today and he didn’t know about the parts either.
I have used the boat every year for at least two weeks straight in the Adirondaks. I use a Nissan 5hp with no problems. I have also taken it out around where we live in Maryland (Chesapeake Bay tributaries).
The boat has served me well and has never flipped, cracked, or failed. It has made it through a heck of a storm on an Adirondack Lake that caused some serious praying but came out fine. The funny story was I was sailing on the lake in a small homemade sailboat when the storm hit. My nephew came to rescue me in the Portabote and the two of us ended up cowering in the bottom of our boats as the lightening storm hit.
I recommend the boat for anyone looking for a good runabout or small fishing boat. Works great and stores easily. We camp so being able to tow the camper and throw the Portabote in the truck or camper is a big plus. I even have the sail kit, still brand new and never used. That I am not too confident about.
February 8th, 2010 at 9:27 am
I consider purchasing a 14 foot porta-bote, but I’m a 350lb guy and I wonder how the seats handle my weight?
Dealer in canada assured me that would be no problem(???)
Any advise please?
March 14th, 2010 at 1:08 am
I fully stand against anyone commenting my favorate Porta-Bote. I love it, l Love it and I LOVE IT.
CUT IT OFF YOU GUYS DONT SPOIL THE IMAGE OF A NICE COMPANY AND A NICE PRODUCT WHICH HAS A GREAT VALUE.
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ARE REALLY GOING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS BOAT.
A PERFECT LIFESAVING BOAT..
PORTA-BOTE WAS VERY HANDY TRULY A LIFE SAVER AS WE USED IT TO ESCAPE A FLOOD WHICH HAS PUT MANY PARTS ITALY IN GREAT FEAR
May 1st, 2010 at 4:40 pm
I’ve had an interesting experience here in Australia. I recently purchased a second hand 14′ and it looks in very good condition EXCEPT when I put it in the pool to test it the boat drew water. It isn’t a lot of water,about 1m long and 1-2cm deep over a few hours but that is unloaded. I’ve read they may take a little water through the bottom seam but this seemed excessive. When I contacted the Australian agent (I will add that he was polite and got back to me quickly) he advised the warranty only extends to the original purchaser . This seems a bit slack as car warranties pass on to successive owners but, so be it. He suggested the original owner may have damaged the stern seam with the motor (no damage visible though) and suggested using marine sealant on this seam. I’ve yet to source a small outboard so I can’t test it more thoroughly at this stage.
July 10th, 2010 at 7:46 am
I just came back from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, by Lake Saganaga. This particular area allows motorized boats with 25HP or less motors. I have a 14′ jon boat that I used, but because I have a pop up camper, the boat and trailer had to be pulled by my brother in law driving a separate tow vehicle. I have been looking at the Porta-bote and am considering selling my jon and trailer to buy a 12 porta-bote so that I can take it when camping with the pop up….all that said, I am re-thinking all this because of the customer service experiences that many of you have posted. It’s a pity…to me good products are good not only because of design and quality but especially it’s customer service….
September 25th, 2010 at 5:49 pm
I am not affiliated with the company in any manner with the exception of being a satisfied customer. I owned a 12 ft Porta-bote for 6 years and used it often (2-3 days a week). I never experienced any issues whatsoever with the craft. Very stable and durable. I fish in reservoirs that do not allow motors or trailoring in a boat, so this met my needs perfectly. 36lb thrust trolling motor worked just fine. Never had it out in the ocean or used a gas motor, so I cannot speak to that. I now own a 10ft Porta-bote and can say the same about this model..(I would be hesitant to take the 10 footer out in the ocean). Two years, no issues. 8 years of being a satisfied Porta-bote owner. Everyone has different needs. Make sure you find a craft that suits yours. Do your research. Customer service has always been informative and friendly. PS the guy that purchased my 12 ft is still using it today (in the Ocean) and loves it.
September 26th, 2010 at 10:15 am
Greg,
Buy some rubber washers and attach them to the outside of all the areas where the bolts penetrate the hull (even up high). Make certain they are tight (hand-tight). Portabote should add these to all new boats. Even above the water-line, water splashes onto those spots and trickles in.
That could be the source of your small leak (having experienced this myself).
All,
I love my portabote and I take it out on the ocean on the Northern East side of Vancouver Island (50 degree water, but sheltered) all the time. I have been in big winds and seas with no problems, but I actively balance the boat (years of windsurfing and canoeing) as I would with any small boat. I always pay due respect to the wind and waves and always assume any boat, once tipped, puts you in a life-threatening situation.
Last summer we (4 adults) pulled in a 28 pound halibut into my 14 foot porta bote with no problem. We balanced the load as we pulled in the beast. It was quite the site to see us lift this beautiful fish out of the boat when we returned to the campsite!
We regularly pull up fully loaded crab traps (25 crabs or more) with 4 people in the boat. Now that’s a challenge! Again, we make sure to balance the load.
I have owned my boat for 3 years now and can say I really do love it. Sure it’s a bit of an ugly mutt, but that’s part of it’s charm. It is a small boat. You shouldn’t take it out in big seas unless you have to.
I cannot comment on Porta Bote’s customer service because I have never had to deal with it, though it sounds like that is an area where the company should invest some extra effort. Getting a customer is difficult. Keeping a customer is easy!
One day I will own a ‘real boat’ but for now I’ll continue to pull in halibut, flounder, sole, lingcod, rockcod, spiny dogfish, ratfish, cabezon, crabs and salmon as well as explore beaches I could not reach otherwise except by use my porta bote. (Plus it hangs on the side of my garage and can be carried on my roof rack when not in use.)
October 29th, 2010 at 8:02 pm
Hi Dana,
Unfortunately the rubber washer isea won’t fix this issue because:
a) it already has rubber washer on all bolts and
b) even in my pool (with no splashing) it draws water.
I have, since my original post, siliconed the back and main hull seam but to no avail. I’m assuming this was just a dud one out of the factory and am somewhat saddened that the agents and OEM wiped their hands of the issue (especially since it is under 4 years old)
December 17th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
Greg, that is rough re them not honoring the guarantee for you, and shows the sort of attitude that has convinced me not to buy a PortaBoat. Shame cause it would have suited my needs exactly.
However, since the guarantee is OK for the original owner is still valid perhaps you can get the person you bought it from to lodge the boat in for repair under the guarantee under his name (you could do a ‘sell back’ to him for a $1 if necessary, but he is still the original owner and thus covered.
It is sad that good products have to be bypassed because of lousy businessmen
January 2nd, 2011 at 9:19 pm
Had my folded hull stolen, along with the sailing mast and boom. Anybody have a 10 foot hull they want to ship to Naples Florida?
Jack
January 6th, 2011 at 7:10 am
I purchased a second hand 10 porta-bote last year, it was two years old when i made the purchase but had only been on the water a few time, it had been kept assembled and on a trailer, i took it to my villa in spain to use on my holidays, it has been stored for 10 months folded up in the garage, today 6 jan 2011, i assembled it for the first time to use it and found the transom outer skin has a split from the top edge down to about 3 inches in length, I thought this material was bullit proof! now I face the problems of 1, patching it, 2 trying to get the whole piece replaced, before the split continues down to the water line. to say how much these cost and the claims about durability made in the advertising blurb, I must say I am very dissapointed with my purchase, if it were wood or grp it would be a simple task to repair, but this might be more than i am able to cope with, I am told the hull has a warrantie of ten years , if that is the case maybe porta-bote will come to my assistance. fingers crossed.
January 26th, 2011 at 5:49 am
Hello-I have the 8′ model and would like to know if there would be any problem just leaving the boat always open and ready to slide in my pick-up truck? I will be keeping it in my garage. —thanks
January 31st, 2011 at 11:35 am
Porta bote customer service is the wo worst customer service I have ever experienced in all my years of boat rental. allow me to explain, upon calling porta boats 1 800 number I was told that their units are in virtually. Indistructable and made out of the same material that bullet proof vests are manufactured from okay?Kevlar is what a bulletproof vest is made of these are not made of kevlar .The reason I called the customer service number wast to ask if the warranty is transferable and was told that it is not when I asked why I was told that they were not aware of what a previous customer could have done to their boat .I find that slightly ironic being that I was told previously in the conversation that they’re virtually indestructible. For the next 15 minutes I was told that anybody who would sell there boat would be selling it because it was no longer functioning properly “yet I thought it was infallible”.In all my years in this bussiness I have never been so insulted or berated while asking vaild questions about a product ,it is unheard of. These people are so incredibly egotistical that it was disturbing! I run a boat rental outfit on the island of Hawaii and had intented to buy 10 of these units for my bussiness but after dealing with these disrespectful rude individuals I would not consider a porta boat for anything more than a porta potty.
Good day to you at porta boat and take a lesson in customer relations you lost a 20 K sale today due to your complete lack of the afromentioned
April 20th, 2011 at 12:52 am
Fellow Boat Owners:
A comment about my decision not to purchase a 14-foot Porta-Bote I had planned to use in lakes and rivers; especially, after reading the discontent with the Porta-Bote Company.
My comment embodies a simple methodology I successfully used with customers – both nationally and internationally.
1. Demonstrate that the customers can trust you.
2. Demonstrate that you have met with them (the customers) to help them solve their problems.
3. Demonstrate that you will meet all stated and written statements regarding service, products and support, following the purchase, installation and commissioning of all products.
In general, understand and practice the simple concept, “…customer, what may I do for you…â€
May 2nd, 2011 at 2:47 pm
Thanks so much for this site and so much useful information. I was just about to order this boat until I read the customer service complaints expressed here. This site saved me several thousand dollars! Bad customer service is like cancer, it spreads fast. You would think that the owner of the company would have a change of heart and attitude when dealing with their customers.
May 17th, 2011 at 5:03 am
The multiple experiences shared here are disturbing and it does seem that Porta-Bote would profit in investing in a few customer-relations workshops.
I have not completed my layaway for the ten foot eight inch Porta-Bote model. I have one last payment and as that payment is forthcoming in a few weeks, I am wondering if I should stop shipment and ask for a refund before it becomes a huge disappointment?
My intent is to use the Porta-Bote for lake fishing, trolling with a 40 lb thrust electric motor. The transom problems sited certainly bother me, as well as the flexibility of the boat design and how that effects the electric motor battery. I would appreciate further information on how to construct a wooden transom. Weight distribution with the 61 lb. battery is another concern. Has anyone else experienced problems with the transom? What might be the best solution for weight distribution with the battery for an electric motor?
And what about the Porta-Bote dolly? Is it a waste of money? The design seems well thought out. Is it?
June 14th, 2011 at 5:25 am
I bought an older 12 ft Portabote from 1993 recently. All of the seats, supports and transom are plywood. I only recently noticed the newer Genesis models went to polyvinyl and steel rod supports. At first I tought this was an improvement, but I don’t think so now. Polyvinyl does experience stress fractures and fatique and can crack. I would replace only the problem areas with marine grade plywood. My transome is two layers of 1/2 inch plywood on the inside of the Polypropylene skin an another 1/2 inch piece on the outside of the skin where the outboard mount plate mounts on two stainless steel wing nuts. Plywood may look old fashion, but it will not crack like Polyvinyl will. I have layers of foam glued on my seets also which isn’t as attractive as the new seets, but I like the comfort also. Keep the new design, but fix only the problem areas with the old reliable stuff. Scotch Weld is one of 3M’s adhesives which I have used when repairing Koi Pond liners with. I think it would work on the PP skin also but look pretty ugly. Still I’d pick up some pond liner which is vinylized fabric, very strong and thin and probably call 3M directly and ask one of their engineers which adhesive would be best. (I think their Marine Adhesive 5200 slow dry (7 days) would be the best, but ask them anyway) apply a couple of sandwiched layers adhesive, liner, adhesive, liner and let it cure. It should still be fledible over the PP skin crack. If you put it on the inside of the skin between the skin and the plywood transom, it wouldn’t be visible. 3m 5200 is a rubbery white sealer once it cures. Apply that over the crack on the outside. Just a note, I fished all over a large lake with 1 dog and 3 anglers and a 34lb thrust electric troller Minn Kota C2 Enduro model. The boat & motor did everything we needed. You don’t need an outboard. I wouldn’t take it off shore for any reason, use some common sense. You can force anything to a breaking point and get away with it yep, until it breaks. The Portabote is a fantastic design and well thought out and practical, so if you are too, you won’t have any problem. 94,000 are not wrong. I also wouldn’t suggest ramming the beach and breaking a shear pin in the outboard, but one reviewer did. The test crew does that stuff, just because somebody will with theirs too. It’s still a bad idea though. Good Luck All
June 25th, 2011 at 8:00 pm
I just purchased a 12ft porta bote and a 6hp Nissan outboard and live in Brooklyn NY. I will be taking this out on Jamaica bay to fish for trout. sea bass.blue fish and whatever bites my line and fits on my grill.
I read good comments hear and bad comments. My focus is those people who take it out and fish in the ocean. Should i be terrified ?? Most of the people here take it out on lakes which does not experience the same problem and currents as the ocean.
Anyone here can give me a word of advise on taking it out in the ocean???
email me please . ezat77@aol.com
thanks .
June 27th, 2011 at 2:55 am
I read with interest all the comments. I intend to see and maybe buy at a trade show in July 11.To be forwarned is to be forarmed. I will have many questians
Thanks
July 9th, 2011 at 5:33 pm
Well, interesting comments. I must say, we bought our 14 ft porta bote 5 years ago. Bought the sail package, 9.8 4 stroke, wheels for portability…the whole deal. When it arrived I had some questions, called and they were answered. 2nd time I took it out sailing, I had some questions, called, and they were answered. The small cover for the bow cracked – I called, they reminded me it was not a structural issue, I mentioned this was the only boat I have ever owned and wanted it to look nice (for my three boys, etc.) they replaced it.
Boat is great, going out tommorrow with the family again (wife & boys), and expecting to make some more great memories. The only real problem I ever had was convincing a group of about four families on the shore the boat was safe. I after I gave about ten of them a ride (not all at the same time) two of them stated they were going to look into buying one.
Life is good here in the Berkshires of MA, and our porta bote makes it better. Thanks for the safe boat for my family, the memories so far, and the ones yet to be made.
See ya on the water…
August 2nd, 2011 at 11:44 am
I bought an 8 footer three years ago to use as a tender for our sailboat. My wife and I and our dog use the boat for a month each summer on Catalina Island. We use a 2 Hp Honda. During the first summer it developed a leak of about a quart of water for each 15 minutes of use with any weight in the boat. The leak was not from the bolts securing the transom. I contacted the company. They inquired about the size of the motor (which was the right size for the boat) and said the only place the boat could be leaking was the seam at the transom that is sealed with stainless steel staples. They suggested I could seal that with 3M 5200 marine sealant. I tried that and it held for awhile and then began leaking again. I will next try a more flexible 3M sealant and see if that will fix it. Ultimately, I may have to admit that the product is defective. It is very tiresome constantly bailing and dealing with wet feet each time I use the boat.