DocNRed
Ut
Senior Member
Joined: 11/19/2004
View Profile
|
Just got back from a camping trip with my 12' porta-bote. I used both oars and a trolling motor there but I also have a 5 hp outboard for it. I used to put it inside our 25 foot trailer but DW put her foot down and said no more. Now I carry it on a Yakima rack on the topper on my pickup. Getting it up on the rack isn't a problem, I tilt it up and slide it on, (usually alone) but tying it down is awkward. The seats do take up a little room in the pickup but it's not excessive for us. My grankids loved rowing it around and it's very stable, it will even float if full of water. After seeing mine a few years ago my camping buddy bought one.
DocNRed
Some heroes wear capes, My heroes wear combat boots!
|
Bumpyroad
Virginia
Senior Member
Joined: 12/01/2005
View Profile
 Offline
|
Shearwater wrote:snip
FYI there are now lightweight electric motors with built in high tech batteries that look pretty good but are very pricy - ca. $1500. Check www.defender.com or www.westmarine.com.
I tried to find this motor on both sites but since I am on a slow land line with poor connection couldn't find out anything on it. but on the face of it it doesn't sound like too great an idea to me. for under $200 you can buy a good 55 lb thrust electric, 12 volt. don't know the weight or amp hours involved in that all in one but it either would be awfully heavy, and very unbalanced? or if they can pack 200 amp hours into a six pack size/weight gadget I think I would prefer buying the two items separate, then when one goes bad, just replace half your system.
would appreciate a link to it if possible. reminds me of when I got my inflatable and outboard I saw a gas tank molded to fit on transom under/around motor clamp bracket. at first glance was sort of neat, then discovered I wanted to be able to move the weight up front for better boat balance rather than all at the transom along with me. same goes for the troller battery.
bumpy
|
Woodlm94
Washington State
New Member
Joined: 04/23/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
I have the 12 foot porta-bote. I tow a 5th wheel so i installed a front hitch to my truck and use a yakima kayak carrier so the porta-bote goes out the front of my F150. All the seats and life vests go in one back that i either throw in the trailer or in the back of the truck. I use and electric trolling motor along with a 4 HP engine. Easily holds 3 people with gear. I even take it out on the puget sound to go crabbing, have never had any issues in the 4 foot waves i have encountered.
CW3 Wood (U.S. Army almost retired)
Washington
2004 Cougar 244EFS
|
Bumpyroad
Virginia
Senior Member
Joined: 12/01/2005
View Profile
Offline
|
evidently that all in one electric motor is a Torqueedo, they sell a replacement battery for $600. all I could find quickly was that it was a LIMA 29.6Volt, 9.4 lb shipping weight, 300 Wh. I assume that is 300 watt hours, how does that compare to wet cell 120 amp hours? If they can get a whole days use and plenty of power out of 9.4 lbs that certainly would be a plus on a small boat/canoe.
bumpy
|
Mike Schriber
San Diego, CA
Senior Member
Joined: 10/29/2004
View Profile
|
Thanks for all the comments.
That inflatable "crossover" kayak is interesting but I'm looking to avoid anything that comes with a patch kit! Not something I want to even think about in the middle of a lake with my wife and daughter on board.
I was thinking of the 12' PortaBote. I've seen several for sale used already and the prices aren't too bad.
If I put in under the trailer and it gets torn off I'm going to have bigger problems that losing the boat! I have pretty good ground clearance and would store it just aft of the tongue. I have plenty of room in the Suburban or trailer for the seats, oars, etc.
The only thing that worries me is setup and breakdown. If we go for the weekend, it would likely be a one day thing for the boat. If we're on a trip and stop to go on a lake it would be more like a few hour thing. I see that being a problem with an inflatable too. About the only way around it is a rigid hull and I just don't think that will work for us.
The Instaboat people say it's a very quick setup, but I don't think three people is going to work comfortably. I'll have to give them a call and see what they say.
Mike
2005 Chevrolet Suburban K2500 LT (8.1 liter with 4.10 gears)
2004 Starcraft Homestead 29BHS (16,000 pounds combined)
Twin Honda EU2000i Generators - 12' Porta-Bote
Prodigy / Putnam XDR / Equal-i-zer
SoCal Family Campers
|
|
|
scbwr
Wilson NY
Senior Member
Joined: 03/09/2004
View Profile
Offline
|
If you have a Camping World nearby, check to see if they have the Instaboat in stock. I just saw one at the Camping World in Hamburg. It looked like it had less room than my 10' Porta bote....but I wasn't looking seriously, so I may be wrong.
2001 Dodge 3500 DRW V10 Magnum
2002 Sunline T280SR
Arrow Hensley Hitch
10' Porta Bote
My photo galleries.
|
Mike Schriber
San Diego, CA
Senior Member
Joined: 10/29/2004
View Profile
|
I'll check. I see that they're not going to be selling the Instaboat anymore so maybe they'll be looking to sell off stock (if they have any).
Mike
|
Shearwater
NE Ohio
Senior Member
Joined: 12/23/2004
View Profile
Offline
|
Bumpyroad wrote:
evidently that all in one electric motor is a Torqueedo, they sell a replacement battery for $600. all I could find quickly was that it was a LIMA 29.6Volt, 9.4 lb shipping weight, 300 Wh. I assume that is 300 watt hours, how does that compare to wet cell 120 amp hours? If they can get a whole days use and plenty of power out of 9.4 lbs that certainly would be a plus on a small boat/canoe.
bumpy
Your 120 amp-hr wet cell would give you 720 watt-hrs if discharged to 50 % capacity. They claim 350 watt-hrs for their battery. However, I don't know whether their battery would be damaged by running to full discharge as wet cells are.
Supposedly, the smaller model Torqueedo is equivalent to a 2 HP outboard and the larger model is equivalent to a 6 HP outboard.
In terms of weight and convenience, the 25 lb Torqueedo (including battery) has it all over the wet cell but the cost is roughly 10 times higher. Another option is the 2 HP Honda outboard which weighs 27 lb and costs about $800.
J 35 sailboat
Sportsmobile Sprinter
|
jspringator
Versailles, KY 40383
Senior Member
Joined: 01/07/2003
View Profile
Offline
|
Mike Schriber wrote:Thanks for all the comments.
That inflatable "crossover" kayak is interesting but I'm looking to avoid anything that comes with a patch kit! Not something I want to even think about in the middle of a lake with my wife and daughter on board.
I have a Saturn inflatable (not the crosssover, though) and a Portabote. My Saturn feels much more stable than my PB. These things have so many air chambers that I don't think there is a safety issue at all. They aren't made of the same plastic as a raft. They are made from pretty substantial stuff.
Jim & Sherri
05 Jayco Eagle 308 FBS, Dual Cam
2001 Ford Excursion LTD 3.73 LSD, V-10, 2WD
Yamaha EF2800i genset;
2000 watt Tripp-Lite inverter/charger APS 2012
12' Porta-Bote 75 6 hp Johnson
1989 Bayliner Ciera 2150
Saturn SD365 inflatable, 75 Rude 25HP
|
Bumpyroad
Virginia
Senior Member
Joined: 12/01/2005
View Profile
Offline
|
the smallest, cheapest $1499?? Torqueedo was rated at 3/4 hp. they had one up to 6 hp for a lot more money. Unless you really needed light weight batteries, the old wet cell would work just fine. does anybody make a battery similar to that one used on the Torqueedo? that would be useable on other motors?
I think I would just throw a 12/14 ft aluminum semi v on top of my suburban myself. I felt fairly "safe" in my mercury quicksilver blow up, then I saw a steel fence post angled up just under the surface once, would have just ripped the bottom out if I had been over about 4 ft.
bumpy
|
|
|
