Speedboat or Longtail Boat to Pig Island?
The two hulls that reach Koh Madsum, compared on crossing time, price, comfort, inclusions and rough-sea reliability — and which one suits your trip.
Every Pig Island trip from Koh Samui visits the same two islands, leaves from the same stretch of south coast, and lands you on the same beach. The one decision that genuinely changes the day is which hull you are sitting in for the crossing, and the listings are unhelpful about it because both kinds describe themselves in identical language.
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What a Longtail Actually Is
A longtail is a wooden boat with a car or truck engine mounted on a pivot at the stern, driving a propeller on the end of a shaft several metres long. The helmsman steers by swinging the whole engine assembly. It is not a tourist affectation — the design exists because it is cheap to build, cheap to repair with parts from a garage, and it works in water too shallow for a fixed propeller shaft. Most of the approach to Koh Madsum is exactly that kind of water.
On board it is open, low and loud. There is no cabin, the seating is benches, the shade is a canvas roof if there is one at all, and you feel a short sea through the hull rather than over it. Conversation across the boat is difficult with the engine running.
It is also the reason a lot of people remember the trip. You sit low enough to put a hand in the water, the coastline goes past at a pace you can actually look at, and arriving at a white-sand island in a wooden boat is the picture most people came to Thailand for.
What a Speedboat Buys You
Twenty minutes to Koh Tan instead of forty or more. Across the outbound crossing, the move between islands and the return, that is roughly an extra hour of your day — and it comes out of the part of the day you would otherwise spend crossing, which goes straight back into water time.
The second thing, less advertised and often more important, is reliability in a short sea. A rigid deep-V hull handles chop far better than an open wooden boat, so on a marginal morning the speedboat trips run when the longtail departures are being reconsidered. If you have one free day on Koh Samui and the forecast is uncertain, that is worth real money.
Speedboats also tend to run larger groups. Mid-size is the fair description: enough people that the pier wait is long and the beach lands as a crowd, but well short of a coach party.
Side by Side
| Longtail | Speedboat | |
|---|---|---|
| Crossing to Koh Tan | 40 minutes or more | About 20 minutes |
| Starting price | From $28 per person | From $42 per person |
| Ride in a choppy sea | Wet, uncomfortable, first cancelled | Handles it |
| Island entrance fees | Included on the better tickets | Usually excluded |
| Lunch | Often not included | Included on most listings |
| Kayaks | Rare | Carried on some listings |
| Koh Madsum viewpoint walk | Offered on some itineraries | Not on speedboat itineraries |
| Group size | Small to mid-size | Mid-size |
Two rows in that table do most of the work.
The price gap looks like $14 a head, but it narrows once you read the inclusions. Several longtail tickets fold both islands’ entrance fees into the price, while most speedboat operators leave the 50 baht at Koh Madsum for you to pay in cash on the beach. On the other side, most speedboat tickets include lunch and the cheapest longtail ones do not. Net it out and the two land closer than the headline numbers suggest — but the longtail is still cheaper.
The viewpoint walk is the genuine longtail-only item. Koh Madsum has a short climb to a lookout over the sandbar, and it turns up on longtail itineraries rather than speedboat ones, mostly because a slower boat is already committing more time to the island. It is optional and it is steep on an unpaved path. Wear shoes.
How to Choose in One Question
Ask what you want the crossing to be.
If the crossing is transport — something to get through so you can be in the water — take the speedboat. You will get more reef, more beach, and a better chance of going at all if the weather is marginal. This is the right answer for anyone with a single free day, anyone travelling with small children who will not enjoy forty minutes of engine noise, and anyone who gets seasick.
If the crossing is part of the trip, take the longtail. You will pay less, arrive later, and quite possibly have a better time. This is the right answer if you have a few days on the island, if the weather is settled, and if the reason you are going to Koh Madsum at all is that it looks like the Thailand in your head.
There is a third answer, which is neither. Longtails are chartered by the boat rather than by the seat, so for two people a private longtail charter lands close to the price of two shared speedboat seats and gives you the beach on your own schedule. That is the option most couples end up preferring once they have seen the arithmetic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a longtail boat safe?
Yes, on a licensed tour. Life jackets are carried for every passenger on the itineraries listed here, and operators pull longtail departures from the schedule in rough conditions rather than running them — which is why longtails are the first thing cancelled when the sea is up.
How much slower is a longtail?
Roughly double. About forty minutes or more to Koh Tan against a speedboat’s twenty, and the same again on each subsequent leg. Over a whole trip that is around an extra hour spent crossing rather than swimming.
Which is cheaper, a longtail or a speedboat?
The longtail, from about $28 per person against about $42 for a comparable speedboat trip. The gap narrows once you account for inclusions: several longtail tickets include the island entrance fees, while most speedboat tickets include lunch and the cheapest longtail ones do not.
Do speedboats get seasick passengers less often?
Generally, yes. A rigid deep-V hull cuts through a short sea rather than slapping across it, and the crossing is half as long. Anyone prone to seasickness should take the speedboat and the morning departure, when Gulf water is usually flattest.
Can I do the Koh Madsum viewpoint walk on a speedboat tour?
Not on the itineraries sold here. The optional guided walk to the island lookout appears on longtail trips, which build in more time ashore. The path is short but steep and unpaved, so wear shoes rather than flip-flops.
Which boat is better for photographs?
The longtail, for the boat itself and for the low vantage point over the water. The speedboat, if what you want is time on the sandbar — because it gets you there faster and leaves you longer. For the light rather than the hull, book an afternoon or sunset departure.
Pig Island, Koh Tan and a Boat Back Before Dinner
Half-day and full-day trips from Koh Samui's south coast, with snorkelling gear, hotel transfers and free cancellation up to 24 hours before you go.
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