To succeed in the competitive period, one must be able to complex problems solving, which requires the ability to recognize problems, analyze their details, and come up with answers. However, students continue to struggle greatly with addressing complex problems. The exploration of the traditional Bugis phinisi boat and its relationship to complex problem-solving skills in congruence and similarity mathematics learning is one method for developing students' ability to complex problems solving. This method is one alternative for improving students' ability to complex problems solving. This study, which falls under the category of quantitative descriptive research, examines how students react to the use of phinisi boat exploration in the teaching of mathematics. Thirty students from class IX C of SMP Negeri 1 Kahu participated in the study as respondents. The tool used to determine the preferences of the students for the learning activities is a questionnaire. The findings demonstrated that students preferred studying the traditional Bugis phinisi boat in congruence and similarity mathematics, with 94.15% of students rating their ability to solve hard problems in the very good category.