This is sacrilege for a Maine guy, but I have never been a big fan of Bean boots for anything other than slogging around in slush or mud season. They are not warm when it's really cold out, and they are brutally hot and sweaty when it's warm. Traction, ankle and foot support are all pretty poor. They are outstanding for mud and slush season--and Maine has a lot of that, including our November deer season, which is what I think old Leon was thinking of when he developed the "Maine Hunting Shoe".
I'd go with hiking boots for the portages. Good quality sneakers--something like "trail runners"--would be fine too if you don't mind wet feet.