Boat Review - Piranha Magro 180

When Piranha Boatworks envisioned a new model to add to their line they wanted something unlike anything on the market. The idea was to build a boat that had shallow water ability and poling characteristics. Simple, a technical skiff. But they also wanted something more inherently stable than your average micro skiff. Something that could carry three big guys and run across big water or anchor on an Oceanside flat in heavy wind while not constantly plunging into each wave, soaking everyone on board. A bay boat? No, not a flats boat, not a bay boat, something in the middle. Sounds like a few boats I know of already so it was going to take a design that required some out of the box thinking to make it unique. Enter Chris Morejohn. Chris has a lifetime of boat dreaming, designing and building under his belt and is responsible for some of the most sought after technical skiff designs on the water today.

In recent years it has been his opinion that the skiff market has gotten a bit stale. Drawing from his knowledge of sailboat design, skiff design, and just plain practical boat sense, Chris envisioned a new look for a boat that considered the needs of a changing boat market. A poling skiff that offered superior buoyancy and big water ability along with enough tracking manners and a comfortable ride all wrapped up in a wide 18-foot package. This boat should be able to carry the weight of trolling motor batteries, live wells full of water, 27-gallons of fuel, and three full grown adults to the fishing grounds and float in less than a foot of water when it arrived. This boat would have a Plumb bow for reserve buoyancy which would extend its waterline the entire length of the bottom and oversized spray rails to knock back any upward lifting water on a windy bay crossing. Between Chris's vision and Piranha's willingness to take a chance on something entirely different sprung the Piranha Magro P180.

The Magro offers abundant deck space as originally imagined with wide gunnels all around and a roomy forward casting deck. The forward storage compartment below deck is large enough to accommodate your trolling motor batteries and a 27-gallon fuel tank with plenty of room to spare for storing gear. The model tested included an Ulterra/iPilot trolling motor that left plenty of room to fish two anglers around the foredeck. Three across seating at the helm and a large forward single seat on the console with an insulated drink cooler below (also plumbed as a fourth baitwell), framed the center console. The rear casting deck offers three live wells across and a very roomy access point into the bilge area to service systems below deck. Looking down over the rear deck is one of the largest poling platforms available. Piranha applies the “anything worth doing is worth overdoing” principle when they build a platform without a doubt.

After seeing this boat first online, then at the Miami Boat Show I'll admit I was a little skeptical about how she might run. Rumors swirled around the skiff community about the viability of this radical looking design and the haters were quick to crank up the negativity as is often the case when anything different comes down the road. At the end of the day I'll admit the Magro exceeded my expectations both from a running standpoint and a comfort standpoint. This won't be the last boat you see featuring this design.

Piranha Magro P180 Specifications

Length: 18 feet

Beam: 7 feet 6 inches

Draft: 9-11 inches

Deadrise: 13 degrees

Maximum Horsepower: 150

Fuel: 27 gallons

Weight: 950 pounds

Base price: $35,000.00