For island life in Bocas del Toro, a 22-ft lancha with a 70-hp, four-stroke engine balances fuel efficiency, power, and comfort. Equip your boat with essentials like a bilge pump, life jackets, and a canopy. Invest in a boat shelter with a lift system to prevent marine growth, save on antifouling paint, and deter theft. Regular maintenance, such as rinsing the motor and checking key parts, ensures reliability and longevity, making your boat a trusted daily companion.

To get around the archipelago, if you are on an island, you obviously need a boat. You can choose between a new or a used boat. A used hull is generally not a major concern, as it’s made of fiberglass and is easy to repair, unless it’s of very poor quality or has issues like osmosis (a chemical reaction in the fiberglass when it contacts water, forming small blisters that produce a distinctive acidic liquid, which can be treated) or significant delamination (separation of the different layers of fabric). However, choosing a motor is more delicate: has it been well-maintained, has it sunk, has it been mistreated, etc.?

The ideal size for a traditional lancha is around 22 feet, or 6.60 meters, with a 70-horsepower engine. It is advisable to opt for a four-stroke engine, which is much more economical and quieter. The two-stroke engine, still permitted here in Panama, is more powerful, simpler to maintain, but consumes significantly more fuel. The four-stroke is also more expensive than the two-stroke. So, you’ll need to weigh these factors based on your intended use. Naturally, depending on your budget and usage, a larger boat will provide more comfort in choppy waters, along with a more powerful engine for a greater payload.

Regarding some of the boat’s equipment, it’s highly useful to have a bilge pump to prevent the hull from filling with water during heavy rains, as well as to manage any seawater that may come aboard in rough conditions, or a combination of both.

A canopy or bimini is also useful; this fabric structure is typically installed above your head to protect you mainly from the sun, but also from rain to a lesser extent. A chair or seat is quite nice for longer journeys, where standing can become tiring.

Equipment

In addition to other essential safety equipment like life jackets, anchors, ropes, fire extinguishers, etc., a key element for the longevity and safety of your boat, if your budget allows, is to build a boat shelter. This shelter serves multiple functions: it protects the boat from the elements while it’s parked. You’ll avoid the scorching Panama sun that can damage everything, as well as heavy rains that could fill your boat overnight while you sleep, potentially leaving you with a submerged vessel in the morning if the bilge pump fails or the battery dies.

Boat shelter

But that’s not all. With the structure of your boat shelter, you can install a lift system to hoist your boat out of the water. This technique offers several advantages. The first is that, while parked, your hull won’t become encrusted with barnacles and other marine growth that can invade the submerged part of your boat. This way, you’ll always have a clean boat with a smooth surface, which enhances the boat’s glide, resulting in substantial energy savings and increased speed.

There are also products called “antifouling” paints, made with copper, that slow the proliferation of marine life, but they need to be reapplied almost every year for effective results. They are expensive and cumbersome to apply, as you need to haul your boat out each time. Additionally, a boat lifted out of the water can help deter potential thefts of the engine or the boat itself.

In conclusion, a boat shelter offers numerous advantages. It’s an investment that you will recoup in the short to medium term, and it will give you peace of mind. You should also remember to register the boat with the maritime authorities and pay an annual tax. You’ll need to obtain your boat license, which is a simple formality given the requirements, but it is still necessary.

Maintain it well

In short, your boat is like your car: it becomes your primary means of transportation. You need to maintain it, protect it, and it will serve you well for a long time. Notably, a motor that runs regularly deteriorates less than one that only runs a few times during the summer and is dry the rest of the year. For “winterizing,” it should at least be well rinsed with fresh water, both inside and out, to avoid surprises when restarting. You should also check the impeller, which can dry out (this is a small rubber gear that pumps seawater for engine cooling), and drain the carburetors for two-stroke engines, as the fuel/oil mixture can become a thick paste after the gasoline evaporates, requiring disassembly and cleaning of the carburetors.