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Design, Build, Fishability |
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A message from the President: After 30 years of exploring the Yucatan and spending countlesss hours in local Panga fishing boats I established Panga Marine Corporation in 2001. Although they were stripped out and rough, there wasn't a boat on the American market that had the versatility of these Pangas. One day I was poling in 12 inches of water and the next day I was 25 miles offshore diving on the Chinchorro Bank—in the same boat.
We first began by importing Pangas built by Mexico's largest builder. Although the hulls were excellent, it was soon apparent that the builder couldn't get a handle on the refinements and demands of the American market. Avoiding wood construction, providing self bailing and integral fuel tanks to name a few. Realizing this problem, we began building the boats ourselves in Guadalajara, Mexico. This worked out very well indeed. However in developing our own boats two factors became clear: Development work needed to be done in the U.S. because design technology is simply not available in the Third World and the savings gained by building in Mexico or other third world countries, such as labor costs, were offset by shipping expenses. Our Pangas are now built exclusively in our Sarasota, Florida facility. Here we have the ability to constantly improve the design and construction of the our American Pangas. And to offer our customers the means of customizing their boats down to the smallest detail. We are extremely proud of our company, our high standards and of our boats. We welcome the opportunity to show you our facility and most generally have boats in the water available for you to take a test ride. We look forward to hearing from you. Rob McDaniel |
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Interestingly enough, the original Panga design was created as a project financed by the World Bank in the 1970's. The project's purpose was to provide an economical, seaworthy craft for the commercial fishermen of the Third World. Molds were built and distributed in Latin America among other areas of the world. Local builders began creating their own pangas which evolved according to the skills of the builders and the needs of each locale. At one point, the Japanese outboard manufacturer, Yamaha, began forming partnerships with local boat builders to build Pangas, no doubt to provide platforms to sell their motors. Because of the unique hull design, these boats are used almost exclusively by Latin American guides, whether for sport fishing, chartering, sightseeing or diving.
These guides have basic and common requirements. Their boats are precious to them and cannot be easily replaced, so they must be rugged and durable. Fuel is scarce and expensive, so their boats must be easily driven by comparatively smaller engines. Their customers insist on safety and comfort, so their boats must be seaworthy, good riding and dry.