Panga boats were first constructed about 50 years ago. The World Bank and Yamaha Motor Co. of Japan worked together to design a low-cost skiff boat that could cater to island fishers over the far east. The original fiberglass design came from South America, where similar boats made of timber were used for fishing with nets in shallow waters.
Now, most panga boats for sale in the market today are known for their sturdiness. The boats are famous for their ability to tackle rough waters. A look at the boat’s performance characteristics can tell a veteran how well the vehicle can fare in harsh conditions. For example, observing the panga boat’s wiring is enough to show the attention to detail given in its construction.
Most panga boats are easy to build but remain sturdy, capable, and rugged. They can face a wide range of sea conditions and loads. The panga’s shallow water skiff design was the first-ever boat to be manufactured by a company that could survive well in big waters and play with the bigger bay boats.
The Panga Boat Structure
The structural design of panga boats for sale in the market is crucial to building their capacity to survive rough waters. Additionally, the construction is convenient to the user as well. The characteristic high bows allow net fishermen to stand on the elevated bows while pulling up their nets. The bows have to be higher out of the water than usual to compensate for the rider standing on top of the bow dragging heavy nets. As a side benefit, high bows make for dry rides.
Another unique feature of pangas is the pad that starts at the bow. The bow does not have a sharp entrance, rather a two-inch flat entry that gradually tapers wide to 14 inches towards the rear. This later protrudes around one inch down from the center of the semi V hull. This characteristic pad makes the boat ride on even choppy conditions and also reduces the overall power requirement. Once the boat begins to plane, the panga rides on the pad and skips on top of the waves using minimum motor power and producing maximum speeds riding on its rails.
Most traditional pangas do not have longitudinal stringers often found in V bottom boats. Instead, Pangas usually have transverse ribs and no decks and use the floor and ribs to lay down large nets. The unique design of panga boats makes the sturdy rides skip along choppy waves of the deeper seas instead of the plowing motion made by generic fishing boats.
Most panga boat designs on sale today have been westernized and do not resemble the true pangas from before. Boats that share similar profiles from the waterline up are labeled as pangas. True pangas can be distinguished by observing how the boat is powered.
The original Yamaha construction was explicitly built to keep the amount of horsepower used minimum, making the boat light and affordable. The boats must be light enough to travel in shallow waters. Another feature of the panga is the rim of the gunwale. A true panga has structural foam covering the entire rim cap of the boat. This is a safety feature that helps turn the boat upright itself if capsized in extremely rough waters.
Panga boats pass the rough water test
If you are looking for a truly remarkable and versatile boat that can handle rough waters and take you fishing wherever you want to go (in-shore, off-shore, shallow water, deep water). Then Panga boats are the way to go. Panga Sports has all-in-one Panga boats for sale. Contact us today at (615) 268-1592 or fill out our online form.