About Us

Our mission is to make boating even more fun by making it safer. We make a top-quality, dependable and rugged boat that’s not only a self-rescue lifeboat and rugged yacht tender, but also a wicked fun sailing dinghy and motorboat, and a great hunting boat or fishing boat.

Made in the USA…Portland Pudgy designer David Hulbert, an industrial designer,  strived to honor traditional Yankee workmanship in his design, artisanship, and in his support for local businesses. The Portland Pudgy safety dinghy and almost all its components are not only made in the USA, they’re made in Maine, or within a two-hour drive of Portland.

History. David Hulbert was challenged by the dangers of sailing his catboat in the icy waters of Maine’s Casco Bay and further offshore, with a small child aboard. Always thinking of safety, he realized that in rough weather, his standard dinghy would be useless as a self-rescue boat, and though life jackets might keep everyone afloat, hypothermia would set in in minutes.

He needed a yacht tender and he needed a lifeboat. Why not design a yacht tender that could save your life? The rest is history.

The Present. In 2024, Portland Pudgy, Inc. was acquired by Mike and Jenny Metcalfe, of Kennebunkport, Maine, as a brand to be manufactured by their existing company Triangle Design Group, LLC.

Mike and Jenny are longtime Pudgy owners who cruise the coast of Maine on their old wooden schooner. Mike already has a successful high-tech business based in Biddeford but was called to take on this passion project. Portland Pudgy, Inc. is now relocate to 649 Elm Street, in Biddeford.

Meanwhile, Richard Whiting, Portland Pudgy’s production manager, and Erika, our stitching guru, are staying on. Between Richard, Erika, Mike and Jenny, as well as Mike’s crew in Biddeford, Portland Pudgy will continue making this top quality, unique boat with the loving attention to detail we’ve always had.