285fpb Frameless Pontoon Boat Inflatable Boat Reviews

I love my boat have used it many times on lakes and rivers. It is everything you would want in a small one person boat. show more... I added a Minn Kota 40lb thrust trolling motor and it handles it well. I really like the stability also feel very safe when motoring around the lake and when riding the rapids on the New River & Greenbrier River.

Good boat does what it was advertise to do.

My husband LOVES his boat!

I initially really liked the boat. Its easy to transport and deploy and extremely stable on the water and goes well ender power from a show more... electric motor. the only downfall I experienced was that it doesn't track well using the oars and spins and blows around a lot in the wind. I am currently looking to sell the boat but only because I need something to accommodate another person

Sea Eagle Reply:
Thank you for your review John, we believe with a little practice controlling your boat will come easier. We also see that you are looking for a two person boat. Have you considered the STS10? Here's a link: https://www.seaeagle.com/FramelessFishingBoats/STS10. Please keep in mind that it does have a similar oar set up as your 285fpb.

Great boat have only used it a couple of times because of serious surgery problem. My son now has it and is enjoying it with show more... his 7 year old catching lots of trout in Prince George BC

I have used my Sea Eagle 285fpb about 50 times since I have owned it for the last 3 years. Overall I think it is show more... a big upgrade to my old fishing kayak. The comfort and portabliity are superior to those provided by my 12 ft sit on fishing kayak. I can set up the 285 is under 15 minutes from car to lake with the assistance of an electric inflation pump I bought from amazon. Many folks have asked me where I bought this unique boat and I have gladly pointed them to Sea Eagle. I am very much a supporter of the company. The build qualty is excellent for this craft. The only significant negative thing I can report is the poor tracking, especially into the wind. Since this boat does not have any keel, it wanders quite a bit when paddling. It took some practice to be able to paddle in a semi strait path. Fortunaly, I am mostly just fishing and not paddling too much.

Very satisfied with all aspects of this transaction. The boat is actually more than I expected. Very stable and because I am a senior very show more... comfortable with the raised seating. I have installed an electric motor and again it performed excellently. On its maiden voyage on a remote trout pond in northern Maine landed 3 brook trout on a fly rod with the smallest being 19" and the largest being 23". all were released as this pond is designated as a trophy trout pond. Since seeing my boat in action My two fishing buddies are seriously considering purchasing the same boat as mine before our next trip. I would highly recommend this boat to anyone interested in a one person inflatable fishing boat. I would only make two suggestions to increase the versatility of this boat 1) add a leaning type bar to help when standing and 2) have the motor mount offset so that it would be easier to operate the motor.

I really enjoy the boat on Texas rivers, not as much on lakes because of high boat traffic. I love the ability to stand in show more... the boat to fish and the motor is just enough. The good far outweighs any bad but a few recommendations: Suggest a higher powered motor package. The 30 amp will do in most cases, but the need for speed is always there. Suggest the EZ cart for better mobility. The boat with attached motor and battery are too heavy to move around very easy. The EZ cart is something I need to buy for my boat. Recommend installing additional D-Rings closer to the front of the pontoons. There's many things to tie down and additional D-rings have been handy Recommend a tie down for fishing poles along length of pontoon in addition to the Scotty mounts. Sometimes, especially on rivers, poles have a tendency to get tangled in vegetation when stick out out the back while in the Scotty Mounts Recommend a talker seat. With the supplied seat post I couldn't turn my chair with the battery in place

Sea Eagle Reply:
Please take into consideration the floorboard can be position further forward and the seat anchored at the front most location to create room for the marine battery.

Enjoyed much ,, has given me as much or more than expected .... Caught a lot of fish from this baby .... I have noticed show more... some changes to the newer model ,, those changes were the right ones .... Even so this boat,, AKA Water Spider as named by me ,, cruises the water very well.... I have had to come out from behind a small island only to get in a 30 mph wind with white caps ,, opened my eyes knowing we had to make it back to dock with no choice .... We rode the wind an caps without problem .... Had to ride a 3 foot swell made from a jet boat .... Up an over smoothly ,, nothing got wet or lost .... All in all AKA Water Spider got us to places we wanted to go giving us the enjoyment we need .... Thank God for our Spider .... Ronnie

I bought my 285 fpb three years ago to fish lakes on my northern Wisconsin property. The lakes range from 7 to 24 acres and show more... the pontoon boat has proven to be a perfect match for me on the small lakes. I rigged up a 3 lb. window sash weight for an anchor using the motor mount to affix the anchor rope pulley/lock. I couldn't sit more than an hour in one of my Jon boats but I'm usually out for three hours or more in the pontoon boat and the swivel seat is fantastic. My boat sits out on the shoreline all summer and I dump rain water when necessary and give it a good scrub down before storing it for the winter. This is an exceptionally tough, well designed personal fishing boat.

This is a great boat and overall it has many advantages over other single man pontoon boats. There are only a couple of improvements and show more... fixes that I would like to see. I got a leak on the second or third trip with the boat. I managed to limp back to shore but not without some hard work and disappointment. Turns out the leak was not in an area that you would suspect as an impact area. It was on the inside of the pontoon near the front cross member on what appeared to be a fold line of the original deflated packing plan. It took several attempt with the patch kit supplied to get the patch to seal completely. I now keep the boat inflated as I didn't want to take a chance at having the folded boat position compromising the patch. The other weak point of the boat was the paddles. They are lightweight but not strong enough. I had one of the paddles collapse on a river trip. Luckily I got both halves back and with duct tape and a branch got to the takeout. Besides these problems, I love the boat!

Sea Eagle Reply:
Patrick we thank you so much for your honest review and would like to apologize for any inconveniences. Please keep in mind that as of today 1/5/16 you are still covered under our 3 year warranty. Although the issues you have mentioned are not common, we are contacting you so as to address and look further into them. Your concerns are our concerns.

Great little boat but now my wife is also becoming an avid fly fisher so we are checking out 2 person fishing craft. Like the show more... foldcat but not enough cash on fixed income at this time. cheers, Len Mack

Great buy! I added a 2.5hp Suzuki 4 stroke. I have only used it a few times, but plan on more this year. I built show more... a small tilt trailer for it. Great look. I keep it inflated on the trailer. Holds air for months. I recommend getting the electronic air pump. I also added some more "D" rings. I would certainly recommend it to anyone.

Primary useage for me is Colorado rivers. I purchased this boat and my brother purchased a similar type inflatable with two separate inflatable pontoons held show more... together with a rigid frame. The craft my brother purchased is better than the Sea Eagle for my missions primarily because the rigid frame with its higher stance is much better in fast water. The Sea Eagle is very well constructed and I am very pleased with the service and quality of workmanship. Although the oar lock mechanism on the Sea Eagle is well made its lack of rigidity in fast water makes control much more difficult and far less accurate. I highly recommend Sea Eagle, but I should have understood the difference between the two designs before I made my purchase. Great boat, but understand the mission you plan to use it for.if you are going to be working a lot of fast rivers you might want to consider other designs.

Well haven't used it much but when I did I liked it ,very busy with work lately, bought it to quick and wish I waited show more... and got the green one, I have the gray one, wish they did a trade in for other one, has better rod holders and seat design, well is what it is but wish I had the newer model green one , thanks Chad.

Entering 4th season with my 285FPB. Performs well and is easy to launch and retrieve. I seldom collapse it but it has withstood 3 hard show more... winters in cold temps. It is not quick as my wife in her pontoon can blow me away even with the motor (30 pound thrust) on full. It is very easily affected by the wind but so is my wife's pontoon. I got the folding seat and it is quite comfortable for several hours just floating on my local reservoir or nearby lake. I am a horrible fisherman but enjoy the view from the water, listen to my MP3 player, and enjoy an adult beverage. Best feature: it is light and easy to launch. Worst feature: heading into high wind driven waves the boat will fill over the bow. Suggested modification (new models are better already): Move the rod holders forward. They are behind me so seeing them twitch (which they never do, hence horrible fisherman) is difficult. A good purchase overall. I have also been looking at the 285FPB's big brother because my wife and I would like to float together.

Overall I like the boat. It's a little small for a guy 6' 2",but it's still fun. I didn't get to use it as much show more... as I was hoping but the few times I did it handled the way it was advertised. It packs away nicely and is easy to transport. I have already recommended the sea eagle brand to my brother in law and he bought the 2 man boat. He and his dog like it very much. If I ever had to buy another one, I would upgrade to a 2 man just for extra space.

After spending a lot of time reviewing boats to buy I came across Sea Eagle 285fpb and purchased a used one. It was one of show more... the best decisions I made since it is light enough for me to load and unload by myself and the storage inside is perfect for a day on the water. It has been thru hell and back with me and still works like a dream. The nicest thing about this boat is you can get into tight spots where fish stack up on one another and other boats can't which makes it a winner. I had one problem with the boat which was self inflicted by stupidity, but when I called customer service to fix it they were outstanding with their knowledge and sent what I need out quickly. I should get a commission from them with the amount of people I send to them after they talk to me out on the water. A great boat for a great price - I highly recommend you buy one and try it for yourself.

I love the boat. It is a treat to have vs the old wooden boat that I have used for many years. I actually have show more... my grandfather's old wooden boat that is approx. 50 yrs old. The only issue that I have, is that I have a small leak in the left pontoon that I cannot find. I have tried soap suds, and various other methods to find the leak, without success. Thanks for any thoughts regarding this issue.

Sea Eagle Reply:
Hi Nicholas, we've attempted to contact you via email and phone. Please call us at 1-800-748-8066 or email tech support supervisor Jerry Allen at [email protected] and we'll assist you in resolving this issue.

I love my pontoon boat. it is sturdy and built of material even stronger than I had hoped for, and it takes less than 20 show more... minutes to get onto the water.Am especially impressed with the foot pump's effectiveness: it is fast and inflates the boat to a satisfying fullness. all attachments are well thought out and designed, and made of quality materials. This is a boat that I can use for years without worrying about decay and replacement of parts! It is compact and goes everywhere with me. I have a small 3 hp propane motor for it which is plenty of power given the boat's shallow draft. Mostly I use the oars as they allow for fast and effective access to all sorts or nooks and crannies where fish hide... I've also made a small modification: the addition of a short board on the front end of the floor to allow my whippet to ride with me. She loves the boat too!

QUsed the 285fpd a dozen times. The fishing boat works fine . Would like a protective edge glued on the outside. I got a hole show more... in it at a concrete dock when another boat came by to fast and made a lot of waves. A bumper around the boat would be nice. Patched the hole and still going strong. Can't be use in wind the boat gets blown all over the lake. Caught a nice channel cat fish 28" long that pulled me round in it.

It is well made easy to set up only drawback is it could be a little bit wider about a foot would great.

Ask me again in April or May: Purchased my boat early so I could get it set-up the way I want before the Fishing season show more... starts down here. The purchase experience from Sea-Eagle was OUTSTANDING! people, Quality and service are all 12's out of a possible 10:) I was amazed at the overnight shipping. A little expansive but your not waiting around for days. I have yet to unroll my boat. but have checked out all the various parts. it's sitting in my shed waiting for warmer weather to actually get it pumped up, final asssembled and extra Scotty rigs and add-on mounted. As of this date I'm happy with my purchase but can not rate it until I actually get her in the water.

Impressions and observations: boat set up very easily and took only a few minutes. I had to drag boat to the water, scraping along some show more... rocks. The boat material is tough but I will be looking at some options here. The wheeled carrier on your web site seems a bit overkill for the purpose. I would like to see a single wheel and strut that attaches to the transom that allows the boat to be moved similar to a wheelbarrow. On the water I felt the oars are too short,though, and that an extra foot of length would improve things greatly. This should at least be an option ( an inexpensive one, I'd imagine). With no keel or legs hanging into the water, I was moved by the wind more than the tube boats on that lake, but being able to stand up offset that disadvantage. The oar was very easy to break down and remarkably fit back into the storage bag. Id like to have had the option on attachments for rod holders ( eg, fly rod, fish finder, anchor lock), rather than bait rod ( don't use). Overall a great product.

Sea Eagle Reply:
Thank you for your review Brad, your suggestions matter and we are currently looking into the possibilities of longer paddles/oars and a way to offset the effects of the wind.

It is a good durable effective tool onto quiet lakes for solo fishing.. On larger bodies in distance to shore and quick arising storm winds, show more... the low front exposure poses some challenges into choppy waves. It is a nice boat to have with inventory of other craft to fill the various calls of recreation. Overall a good tough durable product that can be easily strapped on a camper shell. One improvement sought in considering another purchase would be to increase the barrel size, without adding structure. I have yet to brave the swift upper Missouri River waters in spring and summer as was my intent in purchasing. Consider the stated weight limit and a 250# man (all muscle), 10# ale and lunch, 15# tackle, 15# trolling motor setup, 35# battery, 5# underwater camera, fish finder and 20# fish. The weight loss of fluids reflects to the unverified 20# catch? Seriously, such a vessel would be most excellent to waters out from the few remote access spots where motor boats take hours to access.