Sea Eagle Boats Reviews 11

I purchased a Fishskiff 16 in 2018. I've used it around 10 times. on my last outing the other day after 3 hours I notice to right gunwale deflated. No problem getting back to shore. Checkng for leaks the next day, I found so far two leaks in the seam. Also leaving the boat inflated over night, the main deck also lost air pressure.
Now I have to search for another leak. I'm not sure if this is an age factor with these boats. If you own one, I would leave it inflated overnight and check if it is not losing pressue. won't be a good experence if it deflates while being far from shore.

Date of experience: October 22, 2024

I've previously owned two other Sea Eagle boats, including a sport runabout that we cruised around the North Sea and tributaries with excellent results. Poor salt water resistance but otherwise exceptional in both cases.

THE GOOD - The SE9 is a less expensive boat but more suitable for a couple now in their mid-sixties. The boat is easily manageable and can be stored in a large suitcase, which works better than the included bag. It is spacious given its size. The floor is rigid and a pleasant surprise. It is fast to prepare for launch. We paired it with a Suzuki 2.5 outboard (29lbs) and the motor mount is a clever design and surprisingly rock solid. If a smaller engine was made it would be more than adequate. The boat will do about 4 mph beyond which more throttle is a waste of time and fuel. At idle it moves along at 2 mph. Was excellent for fishing although my opinion of the inflatable seats without backs is not good. (The inflatable kayak seats might be more comfortable).

THE NOT-SO-GOOD - Quality control seems not to match our experiences over the years. Most annoying are the mounts for the oars. The plastic is more like soft rubber and after three times rescuing oars from the glass smooth water we gave up stowing them on the mounts. One of the spring buttons on the motor mount disappeared into the tubing and had to be coaxed back out with a screwdriver. I can see this being replaced with a pin in the near future. The retaining elastic for the upper pins was a farce -- frayed and ragged out of the box. The "transom" for the motor may position the mounting screws on the motor perilously close to the air chamber and the screws on the Suzuki are cheap and sharp. Be sure to mount it as high as possible. It is solid and handles the engine fine. The optional aluminum seat plank is best not purchased. At only 8 inches and resting on the rather flimsy inflatable tubes it sinks down and shifts a great deal and isn't very comfortable. A better arrangement would be to make your own with the aft portion actually resting on the rear inflatable chamber. The fishing seat isn't very comfortable for long periods at the tiller. The canopy is very fiddly and was missing parts, which made it even more fiddly. Because the boat flexes a great deal the use of non-elastic nylon straps to position it doesn't give very good results. Best to use bungee cords or rubber straps on the aft portion to keep the canopy taut or maybe just buy some umbrellas and sun cream. The actual cover is quite small and only effective if the sun is directly overhead. Finally, communication from Sea Eagle was a bit hit or miss. Shipping dates kept changing and after ten days I chased it up, but couldn't get any of their phones to answer. I finally spoke to a person when I called their fire and rescue boat dept. A few days later it did ship and arrive. Same trouble getting someone to arrange to complete the order for the missing parts. It could be they are incredibly busy...or not.

It isn't fair to compare this with SE's sport runabouts which cost three times as much and are far more robust. The negatives are relatively minor and I don't think anyone will be disappointed by the SE9.

SUGGESTIONS: The kit includes an electric high speed inflator which, unfortunately, has such a short cord as to be very awkward. It also includes a very good foot pump to finish inflation. If you have battery powered tools then consider buying an inflator that runs on them. Craftsman makes one for $79. A $10 adapter will allow you to use the high pressure side to finish inflation (keep an eye on pressure and on the inflation gage provided by SE). Well worth it.

Date of experience: August 09, 2024

I’ve had a Sea Eagle kayak for 4 years now and use it almost every week. It’s the 420 and is a very well built boat. I use it on lakes And recently on rapids and it is versatile and comfortable.
I recently had to reach out to customer service for support as the valve was leaking and even though it is not under warranty they gave excellent service by their patience and sending information to me and Jerry calling me this afternoon to see how it’s going and gave me excellent help and said he would check back with me tomorrow. They sent me a video and promised to follow up. 5 stars for their products and service. Thank you!

Date of experience: July 29, 2024

I love my two tandem canoes I bought 3-4 years ago. There heavy duty and I paddle the Chattahoochee River in North Ga several times a week in nice weather. Very durable as we have rocks to navigate at times.
My only complaint is they don't make a comfortable seat yet. I bought the deluxe that I've tried with full air and with less air. I find it to be very uncomfortable in the boat. It makes you sit up too high and just really is not a good fit.
The way less expensive seat is MUCH better although it's not easy to lean back in that one without it giving way. Neither is worthy of the great Sea Eagle boats. Someone needs to work on a much better designed seat to make the cost of these boat's worth having. I love there quality but we need comfort when your in a boat for 2-4 hours.
I find myself using a 20 yr old Coleman inflatable boat I absolutely love because the design is basically a kayak with the seat built in which is super back support & comfortable! Unfortunately, they don't it make anymore.

Date of experience: June 26, 2024

I've been fortunate to have owned a couple of Sea Eagle boats—a 285 previously, and now I'm enjoying my SE9. Recently, I encountered a minor issue with the blow-up stem due to my own oversight. However, a quick call to Sea Eagle's tech service connected me with Jerry, who provided a simple solution with ease. I initially thought I might need to purchase a new boat, but thanks to Jerry's assistance, my summer fishing plans were back on track for just $16. This marks only the second time in 15 years that I've needed to reach out for support, and both times Sea Eagle has delivered exceptional service that truly goes above and beyond.

Date of experience: May 31, 2024

I have no direct experience with Sea Eagle boats; this review is about their customer service. Sea Eagle personel actually responded in detail to my detailed questions. So many corporate entities just blow off all communication with prospective customers these days. Sea Eagle is a refreshing exception; credit is due.

I would purchase a kayak of theirs to try without hesitation, but I just bought a used Hobie.

Date of experience: November 08, 2023

I have had 2 10.6 dinghy’s and the glue had failed on both.

Date of experience: July 25, 2023

I love my boat. My uncle gave me his old 380x and it's so nice. Just wanted to give a positive review, for these awesome kayaks!

Date of experience: December 24, 2022

A beautiful morning and fishing was great until it all changed! I was fishing on a local pond in the high sierras by myself( shame on me) had life vest on etc., when I hooked into a big fish. In the excitement I stood up to fight the fish and forgot I had put the 12v deep cycle on the left side of boat behind me. Well when I stood up I placed to much weight on that side of the inflatable and before I knew it I went overboard and the boat followed striking me in the head by one of the metal crossbars. I believe at that very moment I was knocked out and recall trying to get to the surface. Fortunate for me the bottom of the pond was at a depth where I could actually get some footing and regain my thoughts as to what just happened. In all my active fishing years 61 yrs of them I have avoided any boating mishaps, well until that moment! I practiced what I’ve learned about such a mishap and that was to focus on remaining calm, easier said than done!. When my adrenaline rush had subsided and I got a better footing I started to gather what equipment I could, thank goodness my tackle pack was zipped close and inside was my cell phone( in plastic zipped bag. My poles and other items were recovered with battery strapped in well enough to hang on as did my merc-thruster trolling motor. My first instinct was to call 911 due to the remoteness of my location but did not and called a friend of mine, who by the mercy of GOD was just driving past the turnoff where I was. 3 minutes later I heard voices calling my name and it was them. I hope I’m not boring anyone with this story but maybe it will shed light on the cardinal rules of boating. 1) Never go boating alone. 2.) Don’t panic in the event your overboard and in shock.3) Always maintain a game plan for these mishaps : ie, having a cell phone in a waterproof bag and secure and last but not least, know your boat and know how to right your boat in case of a capsize which is why I’m writing this story in hopes that the company who makes my boat will include somewhere in the safety section of the users manual what to do in the event this happens to anyone else. I don’t know if the remedy to safety should be disclosed without verification of such but here is what I did to right my capsized pontoon boat. First I was able to get to where my footing was firm on the bottom and the tulies behind me acted as a barrier for what I was about to try. I took the bowline off the boat and stretched it the length of the boat with enough slack on both ends to reach where I stood. I have 4 metal bench seats on my boat. I weaved the rope up and down the benches to give the rope some tautness and wrapped the ends around my hands and proceeded to lean back and pull. To my amazement the boat easily stood up on its side and I pulled a little more and it was upright again. An epic boating adventure as far as I’m concerned and if anything I’ve shared can save someone else the dried than so be it. Oh , by the way, the fish was still on the line but wasn’t ol’ grandad, thus the reason to fish another day. Safe boating to all . ✌️

Date of experience: September 15, 2022

I purchased my second Razorlite 393rl because it is such a great Kayak and I don't have storage for a regular kayak. I use it 2-3 times a week and love it. The new foot peg design is an engineering failure. It is extremely difficult to insert the rods into the holes and I am a very strong guy. My wife cannot do it at all so we leave the foot pegs out. I contacted customer service and their reply was to purchase their "new" rods for $19 which seems ridicules since it was a bad design in the first place. Really disappointed in their response to their poor design.

Date of experience: September 08, 2022

Was looking for a good quality inflatable kayak. I looked at reviews and watched videos. Sea Eagle has a long history of making all sorts of inflatable boats. So I bought a pro level 2 person kayak (Explorer 420x). It is everything people raved about. It's durable as a tank. I can store it in my trunk. I Love it! I made a mistake when ordering, and their service email address resolved it that same morning. I have nothing bad to say about Sea Eagle.

Date of experience: March 25, 2021