~PORTLAND PUDGY, FOUR BOATS IN ONE
The Portland Pudgy multifunction dinghy combines the best functionality of the lifeboat, the yacht tender, the small motorboat, and the recreational sailboat.
What's unique about the Portland Pudgy multifunction dinghy?
The Portland Pudgy is the only self-rescue dinghy/lifeboat and true multifunction boat. The basic Portland Pudgy is the ideal tender. Rowing and towing this dinghy are a pleasure. When towed or rowed, the Pudgy tracks perfectly because of the long skeg. It moves along nicely with a small motor. The Pudgy is extremely buoyant and has huge carrying capacity, both in the roomy cockpit and inside the storage compartments in the double hull. Because this dinghy is so stable, rugged, and tracks so well when rowed or motored, it's also a great boat for fishing and hunting! It's a fun sailboat, and a it's a proactive lifeboat!
It's an exceptionally rugged and stable unsinkable boat. The Portland Pudgy (7' 8", 128 lb., USCG-approved for 4 people) is a fun and dependable multifunction dinghy with safety and versatility designed in. Our bottom line is "if you need a tender, why not have one that can save your life?" The Portland Pudgy dinghy is the ideal yacht tender to row or motor. It has all the benefits of inflatable boats and RIBs (rigid inflatable boats), without the risk of deflation. It's so stable you can stand up and walk around in this small boat.
The Pudgy is a proactive lifeboat. On top of all that, the Portland Pudgy is a proactive lifeboat. Unlike liferafts, the Pudgy cannot deflate, and you can sail, row, or motor this rugged self-rescue boat to shipping lanes or land. The Portland Pudgy proactive lifeboat is a self-contained system: all of the survival equipment (exposure canopy, sea anchor, sailing rig...including telescoping mast and boom!) plus a ditch bag, fishing equipment, provisions, and more, stows within the sidewalls of the boat.
~Lifeboat
The Portland Pudgy self-rescue lifeboat is different from an inflatable life raft in two major ways.
First of all, Its a boat, made of the same rigid, rugged polyethylene that heavy-duty ocean kayaks are made of. It is not made of inflated fabric tubes and cloth and cannot deflate or be punctured by a fish hook or shark fin. The polyethylene is intrinsically buoyant. The area under the floor of the cockpit is filled with closed cell foam. The large, watertight, air-filled storage compartments in the hull give added buoyancy. The USCG rates the basic boat at an amazing 1855 pounds of buoyancy. (This means it took 1855 pounds to submerge it, in a test.) It doesnt need to inflate and it cant deflate or sink. The rugged exposure canopy set atop the boat has two tubes inflated with CO2. In addition to shelter from the elements, the exposure canopy adds another 400 pounds of buoyancy.
Second, the Pudgy is proactive: you can sail, row, or motor it. The Portland Pudgy lifeboat concept respects the abilities and responsibilities of the sailor to protect himself and his crew. It is carefully engineered to make it a tough, rugged self-rescue boat that handles well and incorporates many safety features. All of the survival gear, including sailing rig, sea anchor, exposure canopy, oars, ditch bag, provisions, and fishing gear can stow inside the storage chamber of the double hull (with the exception of the rudder and leeboards, which stow under the stern seat). It has a dash-mounted, built-in compass. The passive life raft seems to encourage people to passively trust that the life raft will inflate and stay inflated, and that help will come, when unfortunately, too often this has proved not to be the case.
The Portland Pudgy is a new concept that is actually the proud descendant of a very old concept (after all, Captain Bligh and Shackleton used proactive lifeboats in their epic journeys). It challenges many of the assumptions we have grown accustomed to about life rafts. Life rafts have saved many lives, but tragically, many life rafts have failed, and sailors should do some hard thinking about what their options are in protecting themselves, their loved ones, and their crew.
~Motorboat
The USCG limits all hard shell 8 dinghies to 2HP, which moves the Pudgy along very well. This size motor is light, self-contained, and works very well. Many Pudgy owners find the new Torqeedo electric motor well-suited to the Portland Pudgy.
We make an optional short shaft motor mount for short shaft motors, but we strongly recommend that you use a long shaft motor. The short shaft motor mount reduces the transom height (hence the freeboard), and therefore the boat's legal capacity. With the long shaft 2 HP, the boat is USCG-rated for four people. This is twice the capacity of other 8 dinghies. If you choose the short shaft motor mount, the older 2 cycle small motors will fit in the reduced transom and work very well, but the motor casing of the newer 4 cycle motors is too wide, and restricts the tiller movement.
~Sailboat
The sail kit makes your Portland Pudgy a fun, safe sailboat. We have recently made substantial changes to the sail kit. The sail is bigger (40.9 sq. ft.) and has a window. (You can reef the sail up or down to reduce sail size.) The rudder post is stronger and more rugged. The new telescoping boom is rigid aluminum. We offer longer, performance leeboards as well as the standard leeboards. All of this makes the Portland Pudgy sailboat go faster, come into the wind better, and it's even more fun to sail!
The Pudgy was designed as a proactive lifeboat for blue water sailors to be sailed to safety, and the stability and buoyancy designed into the Portland Pudgy also make it safe and sea-friendly as a recreational sailboat.
The Pudgy takes surprisingly rugged sea and wind for a boat its size. The Pudgy is so stable its difficult to capsize, but if it does, its very easy to right, and it comes up dry. No need to wait for rescue (as with some recreational sailing dinks)!
One more thing! The Portland Pudgy sailboat is a self-contained unit. The mast, gaff, boom, sail, and tiller stow inside the hull storage compartment. You slide the bundle in through the transom hatch. The rudder and standard leeboards stow neatly under the rear seat. The performance leeboards can be strapped under the middle seat. The sail kit is designed so that you can set it up while on the water.
~Fisherman's/Sportsman's
The Portland Pudgy is a great rowboat or motorboat for fishing, duck hunting, or nature photography because its so stable and roomy. The Portland Pudgy has loads of extra storage room in the compartments inside the walls of the boat... much more than ordinary dinghies or most aluminum boats or RIBs under 10'. You can stow all your gear: cameras, camping equipment, and provisions through the watertight hatches. Even fishing rods or guns can be stowed in the hull storage chamber via the rear transom hatch.
The Portland Pudgy is an excellent duck hunting boat. It's great for shallow water because it is very buoyant and has very little draw. It can get in just about anywhere. Its rounded chine lets it slide around rocks. The Pudgy is made of rugged polyethylene that can take a beating. Its grablines let you drag the Pudgy overland with ease. Unlike inflatables, it can't deflate. It's filled with closed cell foam under the floor. Its very buoyant and doesnt have much draw, so you can go into very shallow water with no problem. For all these reasons, the Portland Pudgy also can't be beat as a boat for wildlife photography or bird watching. Camo blind available.
And it's the perfect small boat for lake fishing! It's so stable you can stand in it and walk around in the cockpit! Believe it or not, your fishing rods, guns, and other equipment will easily fit inside the watertight double hull, through the rear transom. Even the oars can stow inside! We can fit your Portland Pudgy out with fishing rod holders, cup holders, GPS mount, and anchor lift/lock.
The optional electrical system illuminates the standard built-in compass, and features a Perko pole light, reading light (red for night vision) and an outlet for running a GPS, torch, fish-finder, etc. The pole light stores inside, via the rear transom hatch when not in use.
The Pudgy is a great camping boat. The boat is 78 long, and the interior cockpit is 62 in length. The cockpit area is 16.1 square feet, as much as most 10' boats. It's self-draining when empty, so it stays dry. With a flat, insulated floor, and removable middle seat, you can even sleep inside it. Tent cover available.
~Sportsman/Fisherman Colors:
Dark green or dark gray with gray or black seats and hatches. The yachtsman's model has gray seats, hatches, and motor mount, and has reflective strips on the sides and bow. Other available colors are warm white, sunset yellow, red, and blue.
Beam: 4 ft. 4 in.
Max load: 557
