Sea Eagle 435ps Inflatable Boat Reviews

Chris 10/5/2007 4.0 out of 5 stars.

I got this to have a very portable boat for sailing. Good points: very fast to rig after the first time, incredibly strong and tough material, very easy to handle and throw on a car because it is inflatable.nn Poor points: sailing ability is rather slow, it needs a larger rig. With the leeboards it is equipped with, it goes sideways to windward. I have fixed this by making a much deeper and bigger leeboard (same width, 42 inches high) and the difference is dramatic, it goes where you point it.nn I have still have a lot of fun out of it, but do not expect the performance of any real sailboat.
Fred Camper 8/27/2007 4.0 out of 5 stars.

This is my second review after using the boat for almost two seasons. I would still buy another inflatable, because with this boat I have been out on the water way more than a hard kayak due to our camping lifestyle.

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As I mentioned before, wind is certainly a factor with a boat sitting so far above the water. Of course it is not an issue when motoring as a Mercury 3.3 works very well on this boat. I do enjoy the boat the most as a kayak and paddling.

It is really fun out on Lake Michigan, regardless of the level of waves. But certainly high winds mean little progress will be made (but you will still have fun!).

While I used to think it needed a rudder, I no longer feel that way. Paddling solo, I can compensate for wind my offsetting the paddle 3 inches off to one side. When paddling tandem, I ask my partner to offset her paddle and that allows my correction to be effective. A rudder would just be a burden now.

My foot rest mod is working well, but I changed out the chain for quick dry rope. Looks nicer and equally effective. For me and my family, this is still a great choice. I too had to repair a pump leak, but no boat leaks in two years of steady use.
Jason T. 6/27/2007 4.0 out of 5 stars.

This review is for newbies like me who have only paddled canoes and some kayaks. I agree with some of the other reviewers in that you have to ask yourself what you want to use the boat for. I picked it because I wanted something that my girlfriend and I could go out in on the lake or river and have fun on as well as something I could take fishing. I have to say I am very pleased with it so far.

Unlike a kayak or canoe I can jump out of it into the lake and swim around and then climb back in with relative ease. You pretty much cannot flip this boat. In fact I stood on it and dove off without flipping it, though I am sure the manufacture show full review ▼ would not approve of that...

would not approve of that...

Setup is smooth and easy. 10 min till you're in the water. The high back seats are comfortable. This boat is stable in rough waters but is much faster in smooth waters. Since it is an inflatable, it is more susceptible to wind than a hard shell. Tracking is pretty good, about what I expected. Almost as good as a canoe. But again wind affects your tracking a lot more. The skegs on the bottom really help I think. I think with two people canoe paddles might be easier though I haven't tried them and the kayak paddles work just fine, you just have to get a rhythm. We have no problem paddling it but I would not want to go on a weeklong expedition with it as it is not as easy as a long kayak.

The material seems quite durable but time will tell as to the quality of the construction and the seams. I like the metal crossbars on it as they allow you to attach stuff to them. The boat also has a bunch of D-rings and the company sells them as well so you could add more if needed. In fact the company appears to be a marketing machine with all their attachments and add-ons which makes me a little nervous, but there are a lot of options if you want. I'll probably end up getting the sail rig for it. It also has an optional motor mount for a small motor which is a nice plus.

The boat claims to be able to hold 650 lbs though I think you would be severely hampered with that kind of weight in it. You certainly aren't going to be paddling long distance with that kind of weight. Also if you weigh over 225 your butt will be dragging in the water which will create a lot of extra drag and slow you down so I would choose a different boat if you are a larger person. My friend is right at 220 and small wakes were smacking the bottom where his rear was. That said this thing can hold a lot of gear. Plenty of room for a weekend worth of backpacker style camping gear.

All in all I am very happy with the boat and it serves the exact purpose for which I bought it: Swimming, fishing and short overnight trips. I would have no problem recommending this boat.
Vince 6/16/2006 3.5 out of 5 stars.

I've paddled all kinds of boats and had a sea kayak for many years. With two people, the boat really works much better with canoe paddles because it is much easier to steer. If I were alone I would use the kayak paddle. BTW, the first thing to do is cut off the rear carry handles because they are terribly in the way of paddling. You'll hit them constantly. The easiest way to carry the boat is from behind anyway (like a stretcher) so we never did use the handles.

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The boat handles about like the average family canoe and is about as fast (which is quite good for an infaltable). Stability is very good (better than a canoe) You'd probably fall off before you'd tip it. It feels better with two people because it's more balanced and "bites into" the water better.

The seats that come with it are OK but here's what you do. Buy some folding "bleacher seats" (look sort of like a giant wallet with a strap to support the backrest) then buy a couple of generic 3" thick boat "throw" cushions. Cut the straps on the throw cushions and use them to secure the seat and cushion together (longer dimension goes crosswise to the boat). Then get some extra nylon strap and attach that to the boat's D-rings and put the lower half of the backrest buckle on that strap.... so it is arranged like the original seats were. Now you've got some very comfortable seats for $20 each.

Another thing I did was to put some 4"x6" plywood "feet" on the ends of the aluminum thwarts so they don't dig into the pontoons so much. That was making me nervous.

We have also tried a Seylor SVX200 which is a more conventional inflatable kayak but with the high pressure floor. While the Sevy is a very nicely made boat, the 435 rides drier, is much more comfortable (with our seats) and is faster. The 435 is a great inflatable substitute for a canoe. The Sevy would be the choice for whitewater.

The concept of this boat is good and it performs very well for an inflatable. I only wish Sea Eagle would have done a better job thinking it through. It is basically well made (heavy material, good valves) and it has never leaked but the D-rings, for example, appear to be plated brass and should be stainless steel on a boat like this. Anyhow, I do recommend this boat and considering it's an inflatable I would give it a 9.5 on performance but more like a 7 on the details. I would take this boat over a lot of canoes out there. After working out the bugs I really do like this boat.