Thinking about buying a boat

[Hank49]

It sounds like you could use one of those modified Carolina Skiffs.
I have a soft spot for dories & have designed a few that have a trailer with a bed that lowers right down onto the ground, allowing a launch in a foot of water. My little (19') workboat can hold a ton of material & on average gets about 1 mph per HP of outboard, up to the design speed of 15 hp (or a small 20).
Geeze, I have to look for some pics of the critter...

Here's some models of them. http://www.quimbysmarine.com/?src=overture

I had a 17 foot flats fishing boat for a while (a Zebra I believe it was), which is a bit like these. It was great in the lagoon but not quite enough for out over the reef.

 

[Wildcard]

I don't think it ugly at all. Thats a heck of a price. I wonder what the rules are about bringing a boat into the country? This one.
I dove a 27 footer in Coz this January that had been sunk in the huricane for a couple of weeks. Patched some glass, new paint went through the old two stoke motors and good as new. Well, the motors were a little tempramental but still, nice dive boat. Set up as a 12pax I think. For use two it was a house boat.
I like the ones that have a little locking cuddy with a stand up helm at the front.

 

[Nemrod]

"Basically you know what a boston whaler is, right? Well, imagine the absolute worst beating you can ever get from a whaler in 2-3' seas at 20 mph.Multiply that effect by 20 and that's the kind of beating you'll get from a panga. Basically a panga will beat your brains out thru your anus in 1' chop. Other than that, they're great boats! Affordable, roomy, perfect for the guy who is tough enough to have his calcium thrashed from his bones like wheat against a stone."

The above, lol, quoted from another forum. I have read that the panga was one of the first cadcam boats designed by commitee for the UN and then other places read it was designed by Yamaha so that they had transoms to fill in third world countries. It is a cute sounding name and names often catch on. The above post reflects what many North Americans think of pangas. Note also, the author is not fond of Boston Whaler whose smaller boats with the cathedral hull are also known to ride quite rough but apparently 20 times less so--lol. Native boats, blah, blah, the deep Vee and center console is the native boat of the Gulf Coast, fast, seaworthy, wide beam and roomy. Many so called deep Vees are actualy modified Vee hulls with a flatter rear planform to increase efficiency at some loss of ride in heavy chop. The panga is popular in the third world because it is cheap, efficient on low horsepower and can plan at lower speeds than the native boats of North America. N

 

[Wildcard]

Ive been in several and I would still consider buying one. They are not as bad as you make them out to be. Not a true deep V but most are not either. Id rate the panga hulls well above whalers on comfort going into a chop. To each his own I guess...

 

[Hank49]

"Basically you know what a boston whaler is, right? Well, imagine the absolute worst beating you can ever get from a whaler in 2-3' seas at 20 mph.Multiply that effect by 20 and that's the kind of beating you'll get from a panga. Basically a panga will beat your brains out thru your anus in 1' chop. Other than that, they're great boats! Affordable, roomy, perfect for the guy who is tough enough to have his calcium thrashed from his bones like wheat against a stone."

The above, lol, quoted from another forum. I have read that the panga was one of the first cadcam boats designed by commitee for the UN and then other places read it was designed by Yamaha so that they had transoms to fill in third world countries.

No wonder my wife says I look a little shorter.....and when I pass gas sometimes white dust ....never mind... I'll have to show her your quote..."see honey? It takes a reeeaal man to drive this boat". HA!
But you're right, it's amount of boat you get for the cost. In that regard, it can't be beat, plus, as you said, they can plane on a twisted rubber band and a popsicle stick for a prop.

 

[Nemrod]

Fellows, gentleman, the quote is not mine, I lifted it from a thread on pangas in the hulltruth.com. There have been a number of threads on pangas there and I picked the quote above because it was both funny and representative of what dozens and dozens of experienced boaters had to say concerning them and when compared to the "native" designs of North America. I cannot verify it or anything about it having been myself on only low powered pangas running about 12 to 18 mph or less. If you look at any number of panga sites, try Andros Panga in google is another made for the North American consumer, you will see that they are all outfitted with high horsepower engines. This loses most of the supposed efficinecy of the design. I can understand them with low horsepower, low speed, almost displacemnt use but I would also wonder how they would perform making 30 mile runs in chop? I also read in a fishing magazine that Shimanno, maker of fine fishing equipment, has purchased a panga for their north american tour this year to promote their fishing products. You will note also the author of the quote compared the panga to a Boston Whaler which he considers to be horrible riding boat, so it was not a panga vs Boston Whaler, he chose the comparitive boat, not me. The most widely used and common Boson Whalers are the cathedral hulled Montauks and Nausets which have a sea sled design. They are known to ride rough in chop and they are also known to be exceptionally seaworthy for a 17 foot boat. Most pangas begin at 22 foot length, I don't think comparing the 17 foot Whaler to a 22 panga is especially illuminary or useful. Neither are going to handle chop well and sticking a deep Vee on a panga is a departure from it's design and would ruin the efficiecny advantage it supposedly has. Odd that the three websites for pangas selling in the North American market show large engines equivilent to deep Vees of the same hull volume and Vee like hulls.

Frankly, just me, I would rather have a 20 by 8 or 8.5 foot foot deep Vee running a 150 horse outboard than a 22 foot long and 6.5 foot wide panga "canoe" with 150 horsepower on it. Just intuition but when it comes to selling such a thing people are going to ask what is up with the bananna shaped canoe dude? maybe not.

N

 

[Hank49]

Fellows, gentleman, the quote is not mine, I lifted it from a thread on pangas in the hulltruth.com.

I know, I was joking.

 

[Nemrod]

The reason that Shimano has chosen a panga is because it can fish inshore and offshore so they say and they probably know what they are doing in choosing a panga for their promotional tours. If you can fish it inshore and offshore then you can dive it inshore and offshore it follows. I like the colorful schemes that many have. Who knows, maybe someday I will have an outboard, fuel cell powered, eco-panga made of recycled milk cartons. Don't laugh, anything is possible.

N

 

[H2Andy]

"Basically you know what a boston whaler is, right? Well, imagine the absolute worst beating you can ever get from a whaler in 2-3' seas at 20 mph.Multiply that effect by 20 and that's the kind of beating you'll get from a panga. Basically a panga will beat your brains out thru your anus in 1' chop. Other than that, they're great boats! Affordable, roomy, perfect for the guy who is tough enough to have his calcium thrashed from his bones like wheat against a stone."

sounds like marriage

 

[k4man]

The happiest two days of a boat owner are:

The day you buy the boat AND

The day you sell it.

Good luck!