A sea-trial checklist for a boat you are buying in Panama, written for both coasts. Fill in the top lines the day before, and the rest on the water with real numbers. Have the tide table, the surveyor's and mechanic's phone numbers, and the seller's licensed captain lined up.
Fill in the fields below, then print the worksheet or download your entries as a text file. Entries stay on this page until you leave unless you download them. Don’t enter passport, card or medical details; keep copies of those separately.
How to fill it in
Write numbers, not impressions: RPM, knots, degrees, minutes. The surveyor runs the formal checklist. This sheet is yours, and it is what you negotiate from.
Pacific side (Bahía de Panamá)
- Tide. The ACP's Amador tide table shows ranges of about 4 to 6 m. Currents around the Amador islands and the canal approach run hard at mid-tide. Leave and return with enough water over the sill and at the fuel dock. See Pacific tides and currents.
- Wind. From about December to April the northerly trade wind builds a short, steep chop by early afternoon. In the rainy season mornings are often glassy and squalls build inland after lunch.
- Traffic. Ships use the approach to the Miraflores locks, and waiting vessels anchor off Flamenco. Stay out of the channel except to cross it. Flamenco Signal works VHF 12, with English as the working language; keep a watch on 12 and 16.
Caribbean side
- The tidal range is under 0.6 m, so the tide matters less. Swell and wind matter more. Run part of the trial outside the breakwater or bay if it is safe to.
- Near Colón, Cristóbal Signal answers on VHF 12 or 16. Keep clear of canal traffic in Limón Bay.
Both coasts
- Heat. Seawater around 28–30 °C exposes marginal cooling systems. Watch the coolant temperature on the full-throttle run, and test the AC and fridge under load.
- Season. In the rainy season (May to November), check the forecast for squalls and lightning and cut the trial short if one builds.
- Captain. Whoever drives needs an AMP licence. If it is the seller's captain, note which one.
- Haul-out. Pair the trial with a haul-out so the surveyor sees the bottom and running gear. On the Pacific side, Flamenco Marina hauls only on high water.
- Paper. Photograph the HIN and engine plates and ask the surveyor to put them in the report. The AMP, your insurer and the next buyer will check they match.
Next step after the trial: the boat-buying checklist.
Read the companion guide
Before using this resource, read Sea trials in Panama: Pacific vs Caribbean, what to test.
Use it alongside these guides
Sea trials in Panama: Pacific vs Caribbean, what to test
Test a boat in the conditions it will face: big tides and afternoon chop on the Pacific, trade-wind swell and reefs on the Caribbean. What to check.
Boat surveys and sea trials in Panama City
How to find a boat surveyor in Panama City, where to haul out (Flamenco, Vista Mar, Balboa YC) and how to sea-trial in Bahía de Panamá tides and chop.
Boat surveys in Panama: surveyors, yards and costs
A Panama pre-purchase survey needs an independent small-craft surveyor and a haul-out. Yards on both coasts, and how to price the job.
Panama boating seasons: dry vs rainy, swell, hurricanes
Panama's dry season (mid-Dec–Apr) brings northerly trades and Caribbean swell; the rainy season (May–Nov) squalls and lightning. Hurricanes are rare.