Hello! (Introduction)

[JBPhoenix]

Hi Team,

I could not find a "introduce yourself" forum, so I thought this one may be the closest thing. Moderators please move in not

My name is John and I have a Non-Profit Group called Phoenix Farms. I live in New Zealand but my wife and soon to be home is the Philippines. (Northern Samar) I started Phoenix Farms to fund food, health care and when possible a home for children that go without. My first trip to the Philippines changed me as a person and since then, my entire income goes to supporting those I can.

We were lucky when Covid hit that our Govt. took hard and fast measures to quash any outbreak, we have no Covid these days because of it, but it has definitely shown me some risk factors that we were previously not aware of. The risk mainly being to the FOOD supply of the people in our small town and those we try and support. it is clear to us (my wife and I) that we need to start our self sufficiency program as soon as possible. Our farm produces Coconut but these are old trees and they will come down this year as we replace them with varied and sustainable produce. However, the source of protein is another story.

I have purchased plans of the Panga 20 and the C19 (have not decided yet which to go) as I have now put "building a boat" at the front of my To-Do list. The need to catch and supply fish as out protein source must now take top priority. Hence my membership here.

I have read some excellent posts on here thus far and I can see it becoming an invaluable source of support and information as I move forward. I hope to get back to the Philippines after my Covid inoculations in June, I will then begin the build of our boat. Looking forward to chatting with you all, and thanks to BBC for creating such a great forum.

Cheers Team!

[fallguy1000]

Fish is good! Welcome.

[Fuzz]

Hey John welcome to our little fun spot
We enjoy boat building from all over and having a builder in the Philippines will be great to watch.
When you know what your needs are post the questions in the questions before buying section. You will get lots of advice. And when you start building start a build thread with pictures. You will get lots of participation.

[Jeff]

Welcome John!!! Jeff

[JBPhoenix]

@fallguy @fuzz @Jeff Thanks guys for the welcome! I am looking forward to getting stuck in.

[fallguy1000]

@fallguy @fuzz @Jeff Thanks guys for the welcome! I am looking forward to getting stuck in.

I think you really ought to forget my narrow boat comments and build the Panga or buy used. Skip the center console as someone mentioned which will save you a ton of money and the boat will work well for you with low power.

Remote steering is a costly move and will be lots harder to build. Once you get the Panga bottom done, a tiny bit of work gets you to sea. Skip also a permanent tank and go with portables. More time and money saved and you can guard the fuel and boat if you want to offboard it. Spend the money on a depthfinder that will help you catch more fish.

The wide boat tradeoff is always fuel economy, so for your situation, a narrower boat fits the fuel budget better as well. The Pangas are known for exceptional handling. A small tolman skiff is also on the list of my advises, but plans are not sold here, so I won't comment further. The Panga is nearly the same.

If you dial in on panga, find out if you need splashrails. I hate the idea of 20 mile wet rides.

[fallguy1000]

For your modules idea, creativity minimizes these.

For example, a bench can be made to open in or out and double as a fish hold.

A way to make a narrow boat nicer is to make it walkable up the middle, so don't put benches athwart, save for the skipper or at the bow.

[VT_Jeff]

My .02(or possibly less)

If I needed a boat for fishing/transporting people I would shop for a hull that was solid and ugly, and pair it with the most reliable motor I could afford. Tiller, portable fuel tanks. I'd consider fold-down benches on the long axis as the the easiest way to switch modes.

Best of luck in your endeavor whichever direction you go, and if you do decide to build, you are mosdef in the right place.