393rl RazorLite™ Inflatable Kayak Reviews

DO NOT BUY ONE!!! I REPEAT, DO NOT BUY ONE!! I've been kayak SCUBA diving since 1996 off some pretty rough seas from Big sur show more... to the Mendocino coasts. I've NEVER been on a more UNSTABLE watercraft, and I've been on many. The design makes center of gravity way too high. I'm 6'1" 190lbs. It's designed 5ft 1” ballerina. Ruined my outing. I was on a calm lake looking to photo wildlife and after 15 mins of tooling around I put my camera back in van for fear of tipping. We went out for 4 hrs and I didn’t tip but I was constantly having to do micro-balancing adjustment to keep me upright. I would not take my camera out with it. NO FUN!!

Sea Eagle Reply:
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. Our RazorLite kayak series is a performance kayak that is built with speed in mind. For activities like scuba diving we would recommend our Explorer Kayak series, which takes a much wider stance on the water and as a result, far more stable. You can also use the Explorer Kayak series for wildlife photography as well as our FastTrack Kayak series which is also more stable than the RazorLite series and will also paddle straighter and faster than our Explorers.

I hate giving this kayak four stars because it should be five. Wonderful kayak for an intermediate paddler or anyone slim and fit. I'm portly+short, show more... so more challenging but not an issue. I own a Hobie iTrek that's too wide to paddle. This is not old-fashioned inflatable, but a new gen of lightweight, real boats. I often go solo on lakes and gentle rivers. Easy transport with some basic kayak wheels. I leave it inflated all the time. I use with/without the skeg--tracking still good without. Five stars for customer service (best I've ever experienced), having an inflatable boat you can drag around and paddle due to its weight/width, happiness generated once you get over the fear of it tipping (it probably won't). One star: the seat! This could be a great seat with a gel interior but it's hard as a rock. Also, add just a few rings to hook gear on, lock it up. I love this boat with a 2"-3" gel cushion + back brace it works. Any more height, it feels unstable. With adjustments, I strongly recommend boat.

The premise of a portable craft that is easy for apartment dwellers to store and move the craft to the water is good. Delivery of show more... the product was as advertised and set up was easy. However I struggled with folding it up to put it back into the bag. I watched several videos to learn the proper technique. Paddling the craft with and without the skeg is a breeze. I found the deluxe seat that shipped was incredibly uncomfortable and useless. I replaced the seat with a cushion and separate back brace. Comfort and ease of paddling the craft improved greatly. With the updated seating setup, I was able to paddle for over 1 hour without feeling any discomfort in my back and legs. With the original seat, I was in pain in my lower back within 15 minutes of launching. I still recommend the kayak because of its portability but withhold any approval for the deluxe seat that is shipped with it. I use an electric pump to fill the chambers and finish with the hand pump. It takes me about 15 minutes to setup.

I love everything about the kayak except the leg rests. The razorlite 393rl is fast, folds nicely, and is portable and manageable without needing a show more... roof rack or any major storage space. I enjoy kayaking it and the ease with which it goes from folded up in the bag to a real kayak. My only gripe is that the leg rests are stubborn and difficult to get on.

Very pleased with the kayak. Easy to inflate only complaint is a bit difficult to put on and take off the pedals. Tracks well, smooth show more... in the water. Stores easily

we are novice kayakers , the 393rl feels and handles like a hard shell kayak, very easy to assemble , inflates much quicker than you show more... would think and if you are short on space , it deflates and can fit into the boot of your car and can fit in to any shed.

The kayak has exceeded my expectations and I absolutely love it! The inflating and deflating process is very simple and quick. With the skeg, it show more... tracks perfectly. The center handle makes it so easy to move around. I am a 59-year-old woman and wanted a kayak I could transport and carry by myself. I am not an elite paddler and find the boat to be very stable and easy to get in and out of. The most important thing is the outstanding customer service by Sea Eagle staff. Be sure to download the detailed instructions before you start playing with your boat. When fully inflated, it’s hard to believe this is an inflatable. Great quality and value!

A great way to get out on the water. You can easily pack everything you need in the supplied bag (Kayak, seat, pump, paddle, PFD, show more... repair and safety kits) plus a mid sized dry bag for whatever. The seatback bag can also carry enough snacks or supplies to make the trip more comfortable. While not exceptionally stable it will take actual effort to flip it, making it a decent choice for a determined new paddler. While it is a pain to get every drop of water out of it with the bow/stern molds being open but that is my biggest complaint, making this latest version a truly remarkable craft, especially for the price.

This is a quality kayak, inflates so easy and it is solid . Shipping was fast. I needed a kayak that would be easier to show more... get in and out and this one is perfect !! It tracks really well and is lightweight. It folds up easy for transporting in my SUV and when i'm done it fits nicely on the shelf !! I am very pleased with this purchase. LOVE SEAEAGLE

great kayak, very fast and durable

The setup is rather fast. Paddles nicely. This is not a pool toy, it is solid. When I'm done and packed up is lives in show more... the back of my truck under a cover and nobody knows its there.

This is the first kayak I’ve ever owned, but I had been out on the water many times in both hard shells and inflatables. I show more... would say this boat handles as well as the hard shells. I’ve been in before and much better than any inflatable. It is super fast. Very easy to transport. I am 61, female, with disabilities, and I am able to Get it in and out of my car, inflate and deflate etc. on my own. That’s the biggest selling point for me. It really is a mid level boat in terms of your kayak experience. Someone new to the water may find that it is a little too tippy for them. When my adult son with no experience gave it ago the first time he tipped it, but I’ve been fine. If you are really new to kayaking, it may not be as stable as you would like . It does not do well with boat wakes or wind either. Am considering getting the white water model as well so I can handle more varied conditions.

I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment using my razorlite. It is quick, easy to transport and set up. I've taken this boat out several times show more... this season and really enjoyed it. I can bring it with me without it taking up too much room without a roof rack, trailer or truck to transport it. It tacks well and is quite comfortable to paddel.

Bought direct from sea eagle in March, and have taken it paddling to various local lakes and rivers over 30 times in last 6 months. show more... It’s been a joy to head out paddling whenever with all gear including kayak all stowed in car trunk. It’s stood up well to many inflates and foldings for storing in trunk. Plugging the sea eagle electric pump into vehicle to inflate the main floor chamber and using hand pump to inflate the two side chambers takes ~5 minutes. Usually all set to put in with 15 minutes. Deflate and loading back up takes 10 minutes. It’s worked great for overnight camping trips and fishing outings with plenty of storage capacity front/back. I’ve paddled on rivers with motorboat traffic creating large waves and had little concern. This is a stable craft. When practicing self-rescue re-entry I preferred having a paddle float for assist since could get back in without too much water needing to be bilge pumped out. Considering purchasing a second single for my wife or a tandem.

This is an amazing boat. Fast, sturdy, quick to inflate, simple but strong. It's a huge upgrade from my prior inflatable and has greatly expanded show more... my exploratory distances on the water. I definitely find its primary stability tippy, but I got used to it quickly and now like it -- and I find the secondary stability is good and it's difficult to tip all the way over. It is difficult to carry around when inflated (esp. due to lack of a center handle) -- and I'm a bigger guy, so not sure how smaller people would deal with that. I agree with others that it's difficult to put into the backpack, so I've stopped doing that and just use the backpack to carry all of the supplies and that works out great. All in all a great purchase.

I love my Seaeagle 393rl. I travel a lot, by car, and now I don't have to miss out on amazing kayaking. I travel from show more... New England to the Midwest at least twice a year. Now I have the ability to stop anywhere along the way and go kayaking. It takes me about 7 minutes to assemble my kayak and be on the water. I also go camping a lot in my vehicles and this easily fits in my car. It has opened up even more of the great outdoors for me.

Quick to set up and is very stable. I love how smooth it glides through the water, much nicer than many hard shell kayaks. Looking show more... at buying a second for my girlfriend so we can enjoy the water together.

Bought two of these for our first kayaks direct for Sea Eagle. Customer service was about as easy as it could get. Like some others show more... have said maybe a bit unstable for the first 10-20 minutes but after that never another issue. Would definitely buy again.

Fantastic product! Fast and fun to paddle. More stable than feared.

I am 64 yrs old /easy to paddle,straight,fast,you need small or big lake or reservoir for this kayak. roll in and out of kayak for show more... swimming/water does not splash in easily/8 miles is nothing for this kayak it is a little wobbly at first,maybe 1/2 mile/very comfortable/crate fits in front and back for fishing but do not recommend as fishing.also remember ! 393 weighs only 35 lbs.+seat.adjusted the seat back to accommodate nrs lifejacket.easy to drain thanks this is A + product

Last year I bought the FastTrack 465ft so that I could paddle with my family of three. I really love the stability. A few months show more... later I bought the RazorLite 393rl for its single person speed and sleekness. I enjoy going on 3 hour cruises with it. The RL is quite fast and tracks very straight even without the skeg, while the FT really needs the skeg to track well. It is definitely tippier than my FT, but that is to be expected as both boats serve different purposes. The multi-person FT is great for no-thinking, casual paddling, lounging, stand up paddle if you want, lay down in it, etc. The solo RL is built for speed; too tippy to stand up comfortably or move around too much in it - it is just not as stable as the bigger FT. That said, the 393rl is still my favorite boat hands down! It is SO FUN to use! It's like comparing a Cadillac SUV (the FT) to a Porsche 911 turbo (the RL). Both are great for their strengths, but for me, I prefer the faster "kayak feel" of the RL. I really LOVE BOTH boats, though.

I am loving the Razorlite 393 RL a friend of mine has a hard shell kayak and I have no problem keeping up with him. show more... This boat is very stable not a worry at all. I must say the customer service from Sea eagle has been great Jerry has been very helpful with some minor things I needed help with. Would very much recommend this over other brands I have tried.

I loved my Kayak, so easy to transport and use. Handles great in the water!