The Panga
Panga - (Pahn Gah) noun: The most awesome boat of all time. A boat of equal parts family minivan and commercial grade pick-up truck.
I lust after a panga, as any true boater would. Yamaha designed the original panga boats in the late 1960’s as part of a World Bank project. They were built for the commercial market, designed to carry a lot of weight, require little horsepower, be fuel efficient, and economical for a village fisherman to own and operate. They can plow through 8 foot seas and skim across 8 inch deep water. They are built very strong and simple, but can be customized to almost any purpose.
There are thousands of them in Mexico. They are found in most of the world’s coastal countries. Pangas are even gaining popularity among sport fisherman in Florida and Texas.
I have ridden in dozens of pangas in the seven months I’ve cruised Mexico. I’ve been ferried through breaking surf safely to the beach, taken water taxis across harbors, been delivered to beautiful tourist spots, done many dive trips on them, and I’ve even had warm French pastries delivered to my boat for breakfast. These are only a few of their many uses.
Not one of the pangas I’ve seen has had a gps, a chart plotter, or navigation electronics of any kind — not even a depth sounder. Instead, Pangueros navigate by local knowledge and tradition. This doesn’t stop them from going surprisingly far distances offshore. Fisherman can travel more than a 100 nm. On a dive trip I took in La Paz our captain spread his thumb and pinky finger the proper distance, held it up to a point of land, then powered offshore in that direction. Two hours and more than 25nm later, long after leaving the sight of land, we arrived exactly on our desired sea mount in the middle of the Sea of Cortez.
All pangas are based roughly on the same original design, but several manufacturers now exist. Also, while basically identical, each is as unique as its individual owner. The tour and dive operators tend to prefer center or side console helm stations with seating, storage, large canopies, and a big sound system (music should be played loud in Mexico). The fisherman prefer a simple, open, and floor-less boat with outboard tiller steering and large midship fish holds. With a Saws-All, some fiberglass, and a bit of skill you can make the panga exactly what you need it to be.
One day, I too will be a proud panguero.
Click thumbnail to expand and scroll:
