Just bought used Portaboat

[Magnafique]

Hello all, I just bought a used 10ft portaboat that came with a 5 hp Johnson outboard, new fuel tank hose and bulb, oars and motor cover. The motor runs like a watch. I am in the process of repainting it inside and out with a product called Sea-guard 1000 that I got from Sherwin Williams. It is a marine paint $48.00 for one gallon and they mixed it from winter white to a nice medium gray. It takes a week to cure after application. Dries to touch in 4 hours. It appears to be a very tough product made for fresh and saltwater environments. I called Portaboat and asked them what they recommend that I to patch up a minor leak in the transom area and the recommend a product called Eternabond. It is a tape and comes in widths from one inch up to I believe 3 ft wide. You apply it and then roll it with pressure with a metal roller. The rolling action releases chemicals withing the tape to start the curing process. I just ordered a 2 inch by 50 ft roll for I believe it was $38.00 and it is flexible. I got the boat motor and accessories for $500.00. I will be using as a tender for my 26 ft Fiberform Command Bridge boat and also just to toss in my pickup and get out i lakes and rivers for trout and salmon fishing. I have been looking for a suitable boat and considered rafts etc, but this boat when folded will hang nicely on the starboard side of my boat, put it together on the big boat and launch if from my swim platform for use. Glad i found the forum and all of you.

Tom Seaside Oregon on the mighty Columbia River

 

[jbcurt00]

Probably need to not paint the area around the leak you need to fix.

Is that paint rated for the material the boat is made of, plastic of some sort, right?

 

[Stumpalump]

Pulling a boat trailer was a major no no when I had a company car. I fixed them by buying a portabot that went on the roof! That thing was great. I had a 12 but really wanted a 10. The 12 could be handled alone but hiking up a rocky shore with a 12' long 70 lbs hull was ruff. If they told you to use that tape then I'm sure it's good. They were extreamly honest with me when I asked about buying an older model. They take time to get used too but once you do the flex in them soaks up chop great. Never heard of painting one but I think you will be really happy. Mine was that drab yellow. The grey looks nicer.

 

[Magnafique]

Well I got to looking at the transom bladder and found that someone had a different transom on the boat probably wood. There are about 7 holes that do not lineup with the Plastic Portaboat Transom and two of them are only about 6 inches up from the boat bottom. The PO not the owner from new said that he always had about 1-2 inches of water in the boat and I can see why. With the transom in it no doubt slowed down the leak for the two low holes but I am betting that that is where the water was coming from. When my Eternabond tape gets here I will seal all of the holes except the four that are supposed to be there and then leak test it after I wait one week for the paint to cure. I power washed the boat first in and out and then vacuumed all the crud out of the inside. Then using some sponge sanders starting with heavy grit and on down to fine I sanded the sides and the interior and then used a towel with paint thinner on it to pick up the stuff that came off from sanding. I hope this paint sticks too because the boat looked just awful, with lots of barnacles on the bottom and the sides badly weather checked. But is has good bones and I look forward to trout fishing with it and taking it on my bigger boat for tendering purposes. I'll let those on the forum know how the paint works. I also removed all of the rub strips and sanded them and cleaned them with paint thinner and repainted them black. They will go back on last, then the fun begins. I also started up the 1965 5 hp Johnson two stroke engine that came with it and ran it for about half an hour. It just purrs and when warmed up has a nice smooth low idle.

Cheers, Tom

 

[Magnafique]

Probably need to not paint the area around the leak you need to fix.

Is that paint rated for the material the boat is made of, plastic of some sort, right?

It says it is. By the way I sent Portaboat the S/N of my boat and within 5 minutes I had an email informing me that my boat was manufactured in 2002. Gonna order some hardware parts for it next. My 5 hp Johnson outboard is running tops so I hope to take it on its maiden voyage this next weekend. Tom