Porta Bote and outboard storage

Mal and Di, it is a bit hard without knowing your kit. Must say I am interested though to do something similar......or do I get a rooftop tinnie?

Mal & Di, you might have to tell us a bit more about your set up to help offer suggestions.

I carry a 3.5m tinnie on top of the Hilux, with the motor (plus an electric motor) in the back. I also carry a fold up trailer on the draw bar of the CT. The fuel tank, seats, trailer wheels, anchor etc go in a basket on the roof under the boat.

There is no problem putting your motor on it's back. Just run all the fuel out of it when you flush it, or in the water, before packing up.

Click on my rig profile below and you'll see the set up. Pic 10 shows the motor in the back in a box I made for it, beside the fridge. Also in the box is the landing net, fuel hose, sounder/GPS (in the bag you can see) and the battery for it and a bracket for the electric motor. I've removed the rear seat from the Hilux and a carpeted floor for the boat (in two pieces) sits against the rear wall in there and takes no space. Lots of other stuff goes in there as well on a carpeted ply wood platform that is bolted down in there.

Despite how full it all looks, we have plenty of space for all our other stuff for long trips; but we are at about the limit of our weight. You would clearly set up different, but it might give you some ideas.

When in Darwin on a recent trip we came across a guy with a Porta Boat (went crabbing with him a couple of times; I didn't have the boat on that trip, but had crab pots). He was in a Commodore sedan. He carried the boat on the roof and the motor (a little 2HP Outboard with integral fuel tank), seats etc in the boot. He just shoved the motor in a canvas bag and put it in the boot. Seemed OK.

Good luck with the barra. The one in my profile pics was caught at Awoonga Dam. Will be back up there (and a couple of other dams) soon to try to get his big brother.

Sorry but I dont have a lot of info at this stage.
Still driving the Commadore but looking at a Hilux or a Prado,
leaning toward a Hilux due to tray space.
The motor is a 5hp Tohatsu and read somewhere that they are good
travellers as they can virtually travel upside down.
Wondering about needing a fixed bracket or laying it down in the back
( sounds fraught with danger to me).
Maybe a "big" padded postage bag!
M.

when we took a 15 hp and 12' tinnie to the top end years ago I made a wooden cradle out of sections of 2x6 hardwood shaped to fit it, used the clamps to clamp it to the cradle and then ratchet strapped the cradle down, it never moved the whole trip. Put a couple of layers of felt where the motor actually sat.
Tinnie broke the roofrack on the camperbut survived ok.

The Tohatsu 5hp you never mentioned, if a 2 stroke or 4 stroke. If 2 stroke, once you allow the water to completely drain out of the exhaust (through the propeller) and the carby run dry at flushing or at end or usage, can be laid down any way you like.
If 4 stroke, run fuel and water dry but can only be laid on opposite side to gear change handel otherwise the sump oil can run into the engine.
Regards

By some of the posts I think some are missing the fact that there is no problem with the boat - just the motor. See www.porta-bote.com/

PeterD

Hi Mal & Di,

We do the Barra Pilgrimig most years and have found one of the best things if carrying the outboard outside the Vehicle/Van etc is to remove the Outboard cover, stuff some lightly oiled sponge into the carby air inlet and then wrap the motor completely in heavy duty cling wrap. I got a hold of some of the roll ends from a local freight company, this is the type used to wrap pallets etc. When motor is covered I replace the Engine cover and wrap this also, This would to mutch work if travelling between spots but if this is the case use the full cover until you reach the topend then just do a light wrap up each time you move. Most important is the sponge in the air inlet, (dont forget to remove it though when you launch the boat, takes a lot of rope pulling to try to get it to start, until you remember) LOL

I also put the whole motor head in a woven nylon bird seed bag 40kg varity.

First year we took the motor outside the vehicle, we didn't do this and motor wouldn't idle, was a pig to start etc.

When you say North are you talking Darwin?
If so...there are Crocs everywhere there these days and they arent scared of boats or people since we stopped shooting them and taught them to jump.
Nothing against Pota Botes but I dont know how well they would stand up to a Croc?
Yeh Yeh yeh I hear you all saying...Just a friendly warning!!!!
Cheers

Mal and Di

I have a 10' porta bote with a 5hp 2 stroke.

I use an external tank and pull the fuel line out and run the motor dry. I then just lay it in the back of the troopy. There are no petrol odours and I have had no trouble travelling this way.

Regards Bob