Pangas?

 I've been mulling over getting a boat for sometime and getting a bit more serious about the idea of late. Wondering if anyone on the forums has experience of using/owning the panga style boats in WA? I'm thinking the classic Yamaha designs that are used across South East Asia, central America etc. I like the shallow draft and ability to get planing with smaller engines as I'd like to keep the boating setup easy to manage store etc. Thinking about 5.8-6m size with say 50hp for fishing around Perth and trips to Rotto when conditions are right given size of the boat? Any thoughts or experiences? 


scotto's picture

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there's a reason you dont see many of them in Perth,

Tue, 2018-07-31 08:17

And that's because they are not suited well to WA conditions.

narrow = unstable in seas, and they are a very wet boat when the wind picks up even slightly. I've heard a few horror stories from people using southwinds in WA.

theyre great for places like asia and the Bahamas, where there's no wind or swell... not so much WA, where its windy as all fuck and averages 1-2m swell on any given day!

devhay's picture

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I did a few trips to rotto on

Tue, 2018-07-31 08:43

I did a few trips to rotto on a Panga style/UB boat about 10 years ago and it wasn't much fun, you really need low swells and nice conditions for them in open water.. If you're after something in that style you're probably much better off looking into a centre console RIB

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Dale's picture

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Tue, 2018-07-31 10:16

 I had a 6.7m southwind UB and loved it. Admittedly I didn’t take it out in big seas, but I had it out as far as Naturaliste Reef, West side of the capes down south, in Geographe Bay, we would get a horrible chop from easterlies, it handled that easily. It could get a bit wet, but not for me behind the centre consul. For crabbing and crayfishing etc, it was brilliant. It was a great dive boat as well with a tonne of room for all the dive gear.

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 Hooker make a narrowish beam

Tue, 2018-07-31 09:34

 Hooker make a narrowish beam deep vee that would give decent economy and a good ride. A few blokes I've spoken to rate them.

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Mulie

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guess it will depend on the

Tue, 2018-07-31 10:40

guess it will depend on the boat, but if looking at 5.8-6m maybe more than 50hp. I have a 5.4 aluminium cuddy with 90hp and would like a bit more...

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 Pangas are designed to be

Wed, 2018-08-01 13:06

 Pangas are designed to be easy to push, low HP

By being narrow gutted

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Swompa's picture

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I used to love them until I

Tue, 2018-07-31 12:25

I used to love them until I had to sit forward of the centre console one day back in 2001 and still remember the pain when I landed back on the deck.

Also got saturated though that may be more due to the clown that was driving the boat.

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Date Joined: 07/08/13

pangas

Tue, 2018-07-31 18:44

 I used to own a southwind UB670. Good boats but as stated they are very wet in nearly all conditions!

With a 90hp 2 stroke yammy I used to get 31knots out of it. They're fun to drive and they handle the conditions here well...but be prepared to get wet!

Perfect for a dive boat if you wettie up in the carpark.

I ultimately sold mine due to the low gunnels which is good for cray pots and diving but not very family friendly for having young kids on board.

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 Hi thanks for the responses.

Tue, 2018-07-31 14:54

 Hi thanks for the responses. My understanding is yes they are a bit bumpy at higher speeds and ride can be a bit wet but they are very seaworthy. They were originally made for fishermen in poorer countries, I  was in cental America and know for example they are used on the carribbean coast also the Pacific which gets some pretty big swells too. I guess I like the idea as they are an efficient Hull for economy as they only require smaller engines, not going to win any races in high seas I guess but interested in the lightness of the boats for towing, shallow draft for landing etc. Just feel they could be a good choice for ease of handling out and into the water, economy, smaller engine requirements etc but keen to hear from those that have actually used them around Perth /WA or comparable seas with seabrrezes etc? 

ranmar850's picture

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I had one , loved it, when they first came out

Tue, 2018-07-31 15:23

 Don't know where the "horror" stories come from, one of the best riding things I've ever owned. As for wet, certainly not the wettest CC I've ever owned. I'd take one, in general, over any platey, because it will kill them for ride. Mine was the 19 footer. They don't need much horsepower to drive them , mine had a 70hp 2 stroke Yamaha. Just look at the resale of those originals, they are right up there, considering they were a BMT package of about $17k mid nineties. Blokes in Geraldton bought them for Abrolhos runs, mostly the 21 footers.

The only disadvantages, as I saw them was that they were sensitive to fore and aft trim--load them up too much as the back, narrow beam made it harder to plane. Fitted a foil, problem solved, no ill-effects. No side storage pockets meant you only had the console and front and rear compartments for storage, though they are quite big. You can build in under the floor, I had a below deck fuel tank forward of the console, and built a small below deck icebox behind the console.

There is a reason that traditional japanese design is used all over the world--it just plain works.

Grumbler's picture

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Hi everyone! I am a long time

Tue, 2018-07-31 15:48

Hi everyone! I am a long time reader of this forum but just decided to join to have an ability to throw in my couple of cents occasionally.


I have 6.2m PNG built panga. It is similar to Yamaha’s W-20 design however somewhat more simple and originally was built as an open boat and latter was converted by me to a centre console. So here are my observations after two years of having it.


It is not a fast boat.

Original design was done for 25 HP engine. Yes, drug smugglers in Latin America may install two 150 or 200 HP motors 32 feet model and race with border security, but it is not what it was designed for. It was made to chug along with a load and pull nets over board conveniently. I have 60 HP 4-stroke installed on mine and it could do 32 knots with 3-blade prop. Now it has 4-blade with lower pitch and it does 27 knots maximum. But I rarely do it. If there are any waves, 15-20 knots is most comfortable speed on this boat. These speeds make 90 HP engine completely unnecessary for 20 feet boat. Also it could be too heavy for it as well.
 

It is wet.
If I travel crosswind I get wet. It is not too bad behind the console but person seating in front of it gets it all. Rain gear is a necessity in cold weather. When it is hot, I find this spray quit refreshing :)
 

It slaps.
And because it has close to flat bottom it does it a lot. Again, all depends on waves. If it is short chop, it could be hard to find a comfortable speed to get through. But I believe it could be a problem for any other hull type of comparable displacement.

Low freeboard.
Mine is about mid-shin high from the deck. It is impossible to use it as support when standing. But it is very convenient when fishing in sitting position. Easy to bring a fish aboard too. Regarding the little children, it could be an issue for those who don’t want to fish them out of the water occasionally. Peeing over board is a challenge too :o)
 

It is narrow.
I am not sure why people say it is not stable. Longitudinal stability, obviously, is not an issue. Roll is not too bad either. Flat-bottomed boats are generally more stable than V-shaped. Panga’s bottom is not completely flat, so it tips quite easily but only to some level, say, about 8-10 degrees from vertical. Then it is quite hard bring it any further.
 

It is long.
On mine three people when fishing may have both boards to themselves without interfering much with each other. Roughly 2 metres of boat per person. More traditional tinny of comparable displacement would be about 4.5 metres long.
 

It is quite economical.
I have 23 litres portable tank and it is good for about 65 km of travel. An additional 20 litres jerry can expand range to 120 km.
 

Seaworthiness.
This one a bit hard to evaluate. Too much depends on skipper’s knowledge, experience, weather and luck. Some people manage to cross ocean on a raft, other perish with large size ships. But in relation to weather I would treat it as a 4.5 metres tinny. Its length allows travelling on reasonably high waves, but low freeboard does not provide much protection from sides or back. When I choose whether to go out, wind waves over 1 metre is no go for me. Swell is less important. Say 2-3 metres long rolling swell does not make much difference. But I am not an experienced boater and creature of comfort as well. I like a relaxed day on the water.

Is it bleachable?
Yes. It was one of the design requirements. So far I did not try it. But I would not try to bring too far from the water. My boat is about 750 kg. Pushing it from beach alone would be impossible. Grounding it near the beach on sand should be ok.
 

I hope it gives some food for thoughts. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask :)

 

Here is a picture of my boat:


 

Ryan C's picture

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southwinds

Tue, 2018-07-31 16:47

 my bro had a southwind (580) i think with a 7-0hp Yammy 2 stroke and it went great - 70k's out of Karratha regualrly and 3-4 people on board , rode well in chop and was a very safe boat from what i could see in the times i went in it - he rated it highly .

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I agree with Ranmar and Grumbler

Wed, 2018-08-01 09:01

I have owned a UB580 for a short time, and a UB670 for a long time, and now have an 8 metre USA panga.  I think Westwinds are now making something similar in the 6.7metre.  These last two boats are in a different class to the Southwind Pangas and are much further advanced.  The Southwind UB670 is the pick of the bunch of all the Southwind Pangas, they are rated to 90HP and I owned it for about 10 years.  It has been out to the FADS many times fishing around Rottnest and would go fishing in the Pilbara where it was launched in a creek (shallow draft and light) and would go out 20 miles fishing.  Great around creeks and sandbars with its shallow draft and fish 3 people all the time.  A friend of mine still has his after 15 years.  Cruise depending on weather was about 21 knots heading out on an easterly and about the same on a seabreeze.  Sometimes had to slow down because of conditions, Heading into the sea was a slower proposition.  Weight distribution is important and you need to make sure items on the floor stay where they belong.  I had a piece of pine across the front on the floor to keep tackle boxes etc in place.  I love them, and stability wise they are just as stable as other boats.  Good luck in finding a good one.

Dale's picture

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Date Joined: 13/09/05

Wed, 2018-08-01 13:09

 Yep, mine had the yammy 90, was a perfect fit for that boat.

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Date Joined: 01/11/09

 Thanks for all the advice.

Wed, 2018-08-01 15:49

 Thanks for all the advice. Confirms what I was hoping to hear. Looking into importing one at the moment. See how it all stacks up... If anyone is interested in joint purchasing generally they can fit up to 4 in a container depending on the size, just let me know.