By Request, More On Sea Eagle Boats

Folks seem to be interested in our inflatable boats.  So, I'll provide a little more information.  And Tim, at InflatableBoats4Less.com, has provided a secret password just for our readers.  You can read about that at the end.  :)

When we started out, we found ourselves in campgrounds with water nearby.  We love the water and the opportunities it provides to get to more peaceful, wilder spots.  I had researched inflatables, but wouldn't pull the trigger on buying anything.

Then, on a trip to a Camping World in November of last year, I noticed that they had a Sea Eagle canoe package on sale.  I didn't have to order it, it was right there in front of me.  So we bought it on the spot.

The Sea Eagle 330 is perfect for us as it is light and the canoe, four piece kayak paddles, seats, and foot pump all fit in a bag we haul behind the passenger seat of our truck.  Note:  The bag with all the contents is awkward, so it is hard to carry the entire bag for any distance.

It's 11' 2" long and 2' 10" wide, weighs 26 pounds (boat only), can carry two people and up to 500 pounds, and inflates in 6 minutes with the foot pump.

It has three main chambers - the side tubes and the floor - with one-way air valves.  These valves are really cool in that you can pump the air in without it escaping when you remove the pump hose.  The other valves on the skirts and the seats are your regular beach ball type valves.

The seats you see in the boat are blow-up canoe seats that can be placed anywhere in the boat.  There are two other seat options:  the kayak seat and the fly-fishing seat which is just a taller version of the kayak seat.

We have one kayak seat that we haven't used yet.  This boat can be used as a one or two person boat.

However, the interior is tight for two people - it's more like a 1 1 /2 person canoe.  We are 5' 8" and 5' 4" and only one of us can ride with our legs fully extended - unless, like Linda, the person in front just props their feet up on the bow.  :)

It has two skegs (fins) on the bottom that help maneuver, and one person can control it easily in flat water or with a current.  However, it can be difficult to paddle into the wind or against a current, so that second person paddling makes a world of difference.

If you can squeeze yourself in, it is much more comfortable than a traditional canoe or a rental kayak and it is really stable.  And it's so easy to inflate and get to the water.  The first time we used it, we inflated it at our campsite and carried it a good half mile to a small lake.

So the downsides are 1) it's a bit small for two people (especially if one is a 6-footer or more), 2) it's a bit difficult in high winds and against strong current, and 3) even though it is durable, you still have to be wary of really sharp objects you may encounter in the water.

But we absolutely love it!

Now, we don't have first-hand experience with the FoldCat 375fc yet, but here are a couple photos and some information.

The FoldCat is 12' 4" long and 4' 6" wide, weighs 75 pounds, can carry two adults or up to 500 pounds, and inflates in five minutes.  It has two chambers and both have the one-way air valves.  The boat itself will be in the flat bag you see above and the other bag is for the seats and all other accessories.

It comes standard with two swivel seats, the oar kit, and two rod holders.  We went with the "Motor Option and will get a Minn Kota Endura 30 electric motor (a little better motor from InflatableBoats4Less.com than on the Sea Eagle site), the seat pedestal (which puts the back seat up higher) four rod holders, an extra aluminum slat in the front, and the accessory storage bag (basically everything as shown in the first photo).

We also added the canopy and the anchor kit to our order.

We understand that we can't fish with the canopy up, but we will be doing more cruising and floating than fishing anyway.  But, when we do fish, I think that this is the best set-up of all the Sea Eagle boats for fishing.

Okay the downsides are that we need more storage area, so we are going to have to get rid of something that we currently store in our truck bed.  Also, with the material of this boat being very strong it is heavier.  Add that, along with the motor, the 40 pound battery to run the motor, the anchor, etc., means this will not be a boat that we can just carry a half mile through the woods.  :)  We will have to be able to get the truck fairly close to the water - not too much of a problem in most cases.

Speaking of the battery, Tim tells me that we should get a 12 volt type 24 marine battery, a cheap battery box to carry it, and a 10 amp charger to recharge the battery.  He said it would take about 12 hours to recharge the battery.

Now Linda's biggest concern is that we will get 15 miles out, run out of juice and have to row back.  :)  Tim says the Minn Kota Endura 30 has a 5-speed motor that has a scale right on top.  At low speed - setting "1" - we should get 15 hours, at "2" - 12 hours, at "3" - 8 hours, at "4" - 5 hours, and at top speed "5" - 2 1/2 hours.  He says he can go all day using varying speeds.  So as long as we don't go full out, we should be able to stay on the water as long as we want.  But, since this boat is set up for only one person to row, you can bet we will do some testing our our own.  :)

For a great review of the Sea Eagle FoldCat including wonderful photos of the set-up, check out this link to TackleTour.com.  It helped convince me.

Now for the secret password.  Although, I can make pretty good commissions if our readers purchase boats through the Sea Eagle website after clicking on our ads, we would prefer that our readers get the best prices possible and Tim's free shipping.

So Tim has agreed to send us a small commission when any of our readers contact him by phone or email and say "Howard Sent Me" or "Howard From RV-Dreams.com Sent Me".  That way you can get the best deal, and even though we don't make nearly as much, it's still something.  :)

So, go to the Sea Eagle Website to do your research and see all the fancy videos, descriptions, photos, and accessories.  Then go to InflatableBoats4Less.com and give Tim a call toll free at 877-253-3947 or email him and tell him "Howard Sent Me."

Comments

[Walt]

Hi Howard. Walt from Ky who lives in Tucson, Az. here. Good choice on the boat. I have a 9 ft single person inflatable pontoon with the 30 lb Minkota and i use a group 24 AGM battery with about 90 amp hrs. It's a great situp for me and the battery will last for almost 2 days with 8 hrs of use a day. But you have to remember that I'm pushing half the boat and weight you will be. I've used it on lakes mainly but it works well in streams too. I'm heading up to Durango, Co. in late Sept to fish the Animas and Rio Grande rivers. Wish you could be here. Walt.

[Wanda, Seminole, FL]

Howard, This pontoon looks good. We have been looking for a small boat to anchor to roof top or back of our Class C motorhome. Did you check out the port-a-boat fiberglass models. If so, did you choose the inflatable models over it? Like Linda, I am concerned about alligators and stumps. Thanks for the info.

[Howard]

Wanda,
I did check out the porta-bote.

Originally, the thing I didn't like was having to secure it to the side or roof or underneath the RV. Not only am I against drilling holes in my rig, but retrieving the boat from the stored position might be tough (the boat-only weight ranges from 47 to 96 pounds for their 4 sizes). The pontoon weighs 75 pounds, but at least it will be in a carry bag and much less awkward.

Then, the more I looked at the instructions for putting it together, the more that seemed like a real pain. Then we had a neighbor in a campground that had a porta-bote, and that really convinced me it was too much of a hassle to put together. We were on the water in our canoe in a fraction of the time.

The pontoon will take longer with having to slide seats in and add the motor, but it still looks like it will be easier than the porta-bote (in my opinion) - guess we will see. :) Also, the material in the higher end inflatables like the FoldCat is very durable, so our fears about punctures will be decreased with this boat. Hope that helps.