Description
The Portland Pudgy (patent pending), is an an unsinkable, rotation molded, double hulled dinghy that does quadruple duty as a rowboat, motorboat, sailing dinghy, and self-rescue dinghy. It rows, tows, sails and motors beautifully, and it could save your life.
It is broad of beam for stability, but lightweight and easy to maneuver. Its durable, rugged polyethylene hull is impact- and puncture-resistant.
The Pudgy comes in sunset yellow, red, warm white, and dark green. Additional custom colors may be available on request.
What's unique about the Portland Pudgy?
The Portland Pudgy is unique because of its multi-functionality, its ingenious self-contained design, and because it lets you be proactive in an emergency. Unlike a life raft, which forces you to sit and wait for rescue, the Portland Pudgy lets you propel yourself toward shipping lanes or land.
No other dinghy incorporates lifesaving functions, great buoyancy, and maneuverability, all in a self-contained unit. Sea anchor, exposure canopy, sailing rig (including sail, mast and tiller), and safety equipment are all stowed in large watertight storage compartments in the hull. The rudder, dagger boards, and an alternate motor mount stow neatly under the rear seat.
The Portland Pudgy dinghy is extremely buoyant—the bottom of its double hull is filled with closed-cell foam, and watertight storage compartments add flotation. USCG approved capacity is 557 pounds (motor, passengers, and gear). Carrying this load, there's still about ten inches of freeboard.
Click here to go to a computer rendering of the fully-rigged dinghy.
Who uses the Portland Pudgy dinghy?
Though designed as a self-rescue dinghy for the blue water sailor, the Pudgy is a safe and fun recreational dinghy. It’s easy to sail and extremely stable, and thus a perfect sailing dinghy and rowboat for children, Its stability makes it a good duck boat, small fishing boat, and camping boat. In addition, commercial fishermen can use the Pudgy as a self-rescue dinghy on boats carrying one to four crew members.
Size and weight
The seven foot eight inch Portland Pudgy has sixteen square feet of floor space (USCG requirement for a four-man life raft). It weighs just about 128 pounds, can be towed or carried on deck, and it can fit on top of your car or in the back of many station wagons and vans. The Pudgy is a very big boat for its length. It has the same floor space as a traditional 9’ 6” dinghy and about the same floor space as a 10’ inflatable. Its “pudgy” pram shape was designed to get optimum carrying capacity out of a boat that would fit on deck of a moderate size cruising sailboat. Because of the Pudgy’s exceptional buoyancy and its roominess, it is USCG-approved to carry four people (twice what other 8’ dinghies are approved for).
For more information
Go to Details, visit the photo gallery, read mail from Pudgy owners, call us at 207.761.2428, or e-mail us at dhulbert@maine.rr.com or dpaley1@maine.rr.com.