Panga type boats

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pdecat

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Panga type boats have become more popular and I'm thinking of trying one of them for local bay use. Does anyone have experience with them?
I will be trading my leader cat 18' and expect to get a 20' or so Panga type. They look interesting but I haven't ever ridden in one. Any ideas how they would handle compared to my current catboat? The cat is very stable fishing platform; I dont need that but would like to continue a quick smooth ride.
 
I fish from them in Cabo San Lucas all the time. They handle remarkably well and are definitely the choice of boat from Mexican fishermen.
 
Ditto on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. I was very impressed, including in some choppy conditions. I don't know why they are not more popular here. Too heavy/ not fast enough?
 
How long were they? I get the impression that they need to be longer than our usual open boats to keep the bow down into the waves.
 
Reminds me of the old Aquasport 222 center console.
 
The ones I fish from are either 26 or 28 footers.
 
quote:
Originally posted by pdecat

How long were they? I get the impression that they need to be longer than our usual open boats to keep the bow down into the waves.

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Yes, length helps a lot. And since they are narrow for there length, one of the reasons they ride well in a chop, the extra length gives you back some of the space lost to the narrow beam.

There are some nice ones made in Sarasota and Miami.
 
I sea trialed a Panga style a few years back. This was specifically a Caribiana skiff 23'. It may be slightly different than a Panaga--more like a semi dory. The problem I found was spray. The helm was aft, and the hp requirement was low--great boats, but the spray was enough that I was not interested. A friend is just finishing up a 26 foot Panga--haven't ridden in it yet, but I think he will be using about 90 hp. I have seen the Panags up to 50 miles off Central America and Mexico.
 
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