Frequently Asked Questions
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Choosing the Best Dinghy/Safety Boat Specifications and Technical Questions
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Choosing the Best Safety Dinghy/Safety Boat for You
Why would I want a Pudgy instead of a standard dinghy? The Portland Pudgy multifunction dinghy (patent pending) addresses the issue of abandoning ship. It is unsinkable and has very high flotation even if swamped. It’s extremely stable, lightweight, and tough. It has lots of storage space. It lets you use a long or short shaft motor (you simply stow the motor mount not in use in its under-the-seat storage slot.). It tows well. It rows easily. It sails beautifully. It's fun to motor. Its stability and ease of handling make it a great dinghy for blue water sailors or for kids, a good work deck, and a good platform for diving, duck hunting, or fishing. It integrates with sophisticated safety and survival equipment (including exposure canopy, sea anchor, and sailing kit). Is the Portland Pudgy a good family boat? The Pudgy is a great family boat because of its stability, buoyancy, ease of handling, lightness, durability and storage space. Although designed as a survival dinghy for blue water sailors, it's easy and fun to sail, and rows and motors well. It's unsinkable and difficult to capsize, making it a great dinghy for kids and a good fishing boat or diving platform.
How many people can the Pudgy carry and with what size motor? The Portland Pudgy was recently tested by the US Coast Guard (see picture). The dinghy complies with US Coast Guard safety standards as follows:
Why would I want a Portland Pudgy instead of an inflatable boat? The Portland Pudgy is rigid, puncture-resistant, durable, and doesn’t need to inflate. It rows and tows beautifully. It motors well, and it can be used as a sailing dinghy. It’s aesthetically pleasing, and it has lots of storage space. Why would I want a Portland Pudgy instead of a life raft? The Pudgy is pro-active—instead of forcing you to sit and wait for rescue, it gives you the option of sailing, rowing, or motoring to shipping lanes or safety. Unlike life rafts, it's rigid, puncture-resistant, durable, doesn’t need to inflate in an emergency, and doesn’t need expensive maintenance. Is it as stable as a life raft? It is comparable in stability to many four-person life rafts. You can choose to use the Portland Pudgy's sea anchor, which will minimize drift and add stability. At the same time, the Pudgy gives you the option of sailing, rowing, or motoring to safety when the weather has calmed. Click here for information on a test in April, 2005 in heavy seas. Is the Portland Pudgy stable with a sea anchor? The sea anchor, a critical piece of survival equipment, is used to prevent drift, and to keep the dinghy heading toward the wind in severe weather conditions. It is attached to a bridle, which in turn is attached to two tow-eyes (instead of one). This distributes the weight and pull of the dinghy and adds stability. How is the Portland Pudgy a "self-contained unit"? All of the Pudgy's safety equipment and accessories fit within the dinghy, and are stored either in storage compartments within the hull or under the rear seat. The mast telescopes down and the sail furls around it, and they are stored through the rear access hatch (see picture below). The exposure canopy and sea anchor also fold up and fit through an interior hatch. The lee boards and the motor mount that is not in use stow neatly under the rear seat. (In addition, you can store ditch bags, food, water, fishing or duck hunting equipment, etc. in the storage compartments.)
Does the dinghy automatically activate its features, such as sea anchor and exposure canopy? The exposure canopy and sea anchor can be pre-set for emergency use. The exposure canopy has the option of inflating semi-automatically. It uses two inflation chambers, each with a CO2 cylinders and a high-quality valve. (The valves are approved by the Navy for their one-man life raft.) Does the Portland Pudgy resolve all safety issues that I might encounter in boating? There is no safety boat or life raft that solves all problems that can arise at sea. Each type of safety vessel has its own strong points. You must use your own judgment in choosing the best dinghy or other safety craft for you. The Portland Pudgy however, will not sink or deflate, and doesn't need to inflate in an emergency.
Does the Pudgy tow well? Yes. Two features make the Portland Pudgy dinghy easy to tow. First, it has a long skeg, which makes it track well. Second, it has two tow-eyes (instead of a single one) which attach to a bridle, which in turn attaches to the tow line. The bridle adds stability and minimizes yaw. It also floats high and therefore has minimal transom drag. How do I carry the Portland Pudgy for blue water sailing? The Portland Pudgy can be strapped on top of the deck or cabin. The dinghy can be strapped down with heavy line, either using the four through-holes near the gunwale, or the two handholds in the keel. You can also carry the Pudgy on davits (see below). Can the Pudgy be carried on davits? You can hang the Pudgy from davits using the optional davit harness and lifting eyes. The eyes are set low in the interior of the cockpit (they also serve as as fastening points for safety harnesses). In addition, if your boat has a swim step, you can use specially-designed Weaver davits. For more information on using davits, click here. What about land transportation? At approximately 128 lb, the Pudgy is easy to carry. It has a wheel in the keel for rolling the dinghy. It fits in many station wagons and vans or on the roof of your car.
Specifications and Technical Questions
What colors are available? The Portland Pudgy comes in white, sunset yellow, red, and new dark green. Additional custom colors may be available on request. In addition the sail is available in white or safety orange. We've found that the colors work well. They look good, and make it easy to spot your dinghy, whether at sea or in a marina full of white dinghies. See comment from the owner of a yellow Pudgy. What are the Portland Pudgy's dimensions? Length: 92.4", Width: 53.2", Height: 26.2". (Dimensions may vary slightly due to manufacturing processes.) Click here for a dimensional drawing of the boat. How much does the Portland Pudgy weigh? The basic dinghy weighs about 128 lbs. With all accessories and equipment (exposure canopy, sailing rig, sea anchor, etc.), it weighs about 168 lb. Why is the Portland Pudgy so small? It is designed to be of manageable weight and to fit on the foredeck of many sailing and motor boats. Why is the Portland Pudgy so big? The Pudgy is designed to be buoyant, stable, and roomy inside. It has 16.1 square feet of floor space (16 square feet is the USCG recommendation for a four-person life raft), and has a USCG-approved capacity of four people. Why is the Portland Pudgy rotation-molded polyethylene? The hard polyethylene shell is tough, durable and is not subject to deterioration or puncture. At the same time, the material has flex, which gives it greater impact resistance than fiberglass, for example. The polyethylene, which is inherently buoyant, is formed as a double hull, the lower portion of which is filled with a closed-cell foam. Polyethylene is resistant to marine growth. What is the Portland Pudgy’s buoyancy? USCG approved capacity is 557 (motor, passengers, and gear). Carrying this load, there's still about ten inches of freeboard. It takes 1855 pounds of weight to submerge the dinghy (see photo of dinghy at USCG testing facility). What gives the Pudgy its buoyancy? The Pudgy is unsinkable because:
Is the Pudgy self-bailing? Yes, the dinghy is self-bailing when empty or carrying up to about 30 lb of equipment. Is the dinghy self-righting? Handholds and an optional foot rest (patent pending multi-function cylinder) can be used to easily roll the dinghy to a righted position. (This is the method used for righting most inflatable life rafts.) In righting, it scoops up very little water...for a nearly dry boat...because of its high flotation. Is the dinghy self-righting with the exposure canopy? Yes. The empty dinghy with exposure canopy is self-righting. It is nearly impossible to capsize the dinghy with the canopy inflated. If the Pudgy is capsized, one or two people can right it from inside the cockpit without venturing outside the dinghy (as must be done with most inflatable life rafts). Doesn’t water spray up through the dagger board holes? No. Ridges near the dagger board slots force water down from the slots (using Bernoulli’s principle). What are the optional accessories? Click here for a complete list of accessories.
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