420x Explorer Inflatable Kayak Reviews

Decent boat but not exactly what I wanted. It has treated me well for the last 3 years with no problems. It's built well from show more... good materials. My problem is with the design and engineering of the boat. I thought the 420x would be self bailing once I unscrewed the valves. I weigh about 180 and my girlfriend weighs 110. With less than 300 pounds in the boat, with the valves unscrewed, I just sit in 4 inches of water the whole time. The only way this boat works for 2 people is as a bucket boat. Which means we constantly have to stop and drain the boat. Also, the person in the back sits about 5 inches from the water line. So the person in the back gets soaked with water and fills the boat up which leads to having to stop and drain the boat constantly. It does not perform in white water any where near my expectations. I have mixed feelings. It's just not designed very well in my opinion and sucks for white water rafting. Wish I would have bought a SOAR instead.

Sea Eagle Reply:
Thank you for the review John. The drain valves are primarily meant for whitewater use to drain the majority of the water while underway. Otherwise they should be kept closed and used to drain water fully while on shore. We would be happy to offer any advice or assistance if you call or email.

Overall I like the boat, seats & watersnake motor. The quality is great and I have no complaints on that front. One area where I show more... do have a problem though is... on stability. I have the swivel (fishing) seats and I find that I am positioned so high up that my centre of gravity makes the whole setup feel unstable. Reaching the motor from a sitting position is also very precarious

Sea Eagle Reply:
Colm, we see that you are having an issue with the Swivel Seat Fish Rigs and "stability" and being "positioned so high up that my center of gravity makes the whole setup feel unstable." It may take a couple outings to get used to. However, we do offer the Deluxe Inflatable Kayak Seat ► https://www.seaeagle.com/Accessories/seats/deluxe-inflatable-seat that sits lower than the rig and the Tall Back Kayak Seat ► https://www.seaeagle.com/Accessories/seats/tall-back-kayak-seat that sits the lowest.

Excellent kayak overall. Very stable, tracks well when sled is installed. Comfortably fits 2 adults. The only negative which is really not a negative but show more... something you should know is that this model is really big so you really need two people to launch and operate it.

Love my 420x, I sold my two Oru foldable kayaks and bought the 420x. My wife and I have a c class motorhome and the show more... sea eagle is perfect for our camping trips. Dosen't take up much space, I store it in the bunk above the front seats. It's light enough to easily get in and out. I like how stable the kayak is in the water. We always take our 100lb plus dog with us. Even with an excited dog bouncing around, the kayak is stable and tracks well while paddling. I bought the electric pump (smart move), takes my wife and I about 15 minutes from the time we unload untill were ready to launch. My son was looking at another brand of inflatable kayak, but after using my sea eagle kayak, he changed his mind and ordered a sea eagle. I really like the 120 day trial period and the customer support is excellent.

I like the boat - it got my family out on the water. It is very durable, easy to carry, easy to assemble and get show more... into the water. It is very stable. It is slow on flat water. It takes lots of paddle to get across the lake.

Great kayak and worth the money. It is an inflatable and requires appropriate care especially in how you store it. Once it's inflated it's virtually show more... indestructible. If you develop a hole it is relatively easy to patch. We use our kayak all the time in Florida. We've taken it to see the Manatees at Three Sisters Springs, kayaked down the Ichetucknee River, and taken it fishing at Cedar Key. Love it! Make sure and buy the electric pump.

We have enjoyed our latest addition to our rafting fleet. This was bought specifically to bring along RVing. Like the ability to get under inflatable show more... floor for cleaning and drying boat. Great size for two and dog and small cooler. Stable. Hate the cheap foot pump though as I can't stiffen tubes enough with it. Really a pain. Need to sell these with a air guage and a pump which is able to get it up to spec pressure. Wish the paddles were longer. Will have to purchase replacements. Bought the high back chairs, a must. But also the inflatable cushions, another must for comfort. Also bought the adjustable foot rests and like them. Biggest grip is air pump and pressure. Love the boat otherwise and recommend it.

Sea Eagle Reply:
Thank you for your review, it appears that our customer service team has been in contact with you. Please feel free to contact us should you need any additional support.

In the water, she is awesome. Performs better than expected. Easy to maneuver, tracks straight with the skeg on - just terrific. Out of the show more... water is another thing. She is bulky, heavy and hard to deal with. Instead of the industry normal valves for inflation/deflation, the valves are far more delicate and worrisome as a result. The provided "bag" is miserable to deal with. Trying to fold the boat and then the bag - right out of a Keystone cops comedy. Would be funny, but the bulky, heavy boat is almost impossible to fit in the multi-fold bag. I'd replace the valves and provide a decent bag that has built in wheels and zips instead of folds. The boat herself should last for years as she is hearty. Just be careful with the valves - the weak link. Fix those two issues and she gets a 5!

Sea Eagle Reply:
Thank you for the review. We do use industry standard valves. This video may help you with using them as well as how to fit the boat in the bag. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glHt23uDnKU&t=252s

This is a quality inflatable boat. I passed on purchasing Sea eagle inflatables 20 years ago because of concerns of quality. Those concerns are no show more... longer valid. Great product that I highly recommend.

I bought 3 of these and a SUP. Unfortunately, I have only been able to use these 2x since purchase. They were ordered for a show more... family vacation on a lake, but these were significantly back-ordered despite the website indicating they were in stock when I purchased them. We did not get to use them for vacation as planned which was super disappointing. Maybe this year. We have used these once on a lake and once in a harbor. They worked well. Felt safe and stable. Appear to be quality construction. These store well and are fairly easy to set up if you use the electric pump. Customer service was very nice, communication could have been better, but was unable to resolve the unavailability issue.

Sea Eagle Reply:
Hi Kirsten. Thank you for the review. We apologize for any inconvenience or shortages during this busy time. We will gladly assist you with any future needs and will do our best to get you any of our products as they are available.

Pretty awesome kayak, used it 5 times so far. Main downsides are... Foot pump connector comes loose when inflating, and as its a kayak you show more... are quite limited when it comes to putting a motor and motor mount on. If you actually want a boat, you should get a boat and not the kayak. But quality wise everything is really good, easy enough to setup and then deflate and pack away. I would recommend this more for rivers and lakes, and less for ocean.

Sea Eagle Reply:
Thank you for the review. Feel free to contact us regarding assistance/ advice while inflating.

It's the best kayak I've ever owned out of my 3

Very nice and stable boat - only used it in flat water- skeg adds good stability in steering Terrible carrying straps - can’t put it show more... on your back, and awkward to carry any distance

Sea Eagle Reply:
Hi Dale, We do offer a very large Blue BackPackL with 8.4 cubic feet of storage space but you'll have to call in and ask for it specifically.

Overall, I like and recommend the 420X. It is easy to store and transport in a vehicle. It's not lightweight. That's good regarding heavy duty show more... quality, but don't expect to easily pick it up and lug it around (as shown in the videos). When possible I try to use a cart to transport it to the water before pumping it up. It seems to take us longer to prepare the kayak for use than indicated in the videos, and I sometimes have the valves in the wrong position so that the air deflates when I disconnect the pump (thus adding more time and frustration). I take a fair amount of time cleaning the kayak of sand, dirt, and other debris before storing it since I don't want any grit wearing into the crevices (e.g., between the floor and sides). A hard sided kayak is probably easier to just wash and dry before storage. I've had the 420X about 6 months and I'm still working out my few issues with it.

Hi Everybody As an owner of a 420x I am very satisfied with the product. It is covering all my expectations for kayaking on lakes, show more... rivers or in the sea. The quality is very good. One point to enhance the kayak could be a drainage on the rear for a more easy cleaning after use. The order and delivery time was as promised and expected, and the customer service helped me being in Argentina when I have some issues with the local custom. Portability it is one of the biggest goals and one of my main points along with store-ability when electing this type of kayaks. I did not have to use the 3 year warranty. For sure I will buy it again and every time I have the chance I recommend this SeaEagle product. Best regards, Hugo

We have alot of good times,we use it on the lakes and rivers, even did a little white water. Great unit easy to use and show more... set up. We travel in 5th wheel the Kayks fits in the compartment and is ready to use in the a few minutes. One of our Daughters put our six grand children in the Kayak there ages were from 4 to 7 and down the river they went and all had room and fun.Had an other couple try our boat and they purchaced one a short time later. Thanks you have a good product keep it up. There maybe a paddle board in on our wish list. Thanks Ken 4.5 it would be a 5, but the rudder cracked has always been hard to install and remove. I use a small little rubber hammer.

Sea Eagle Reply:
The trick is to pack/store your kayak with the skeg base flat. I assume because you have to slightly force the skeg in place that there is a deformity of some sort. Heating the skeg base up with a hair dryer and then inserting the replacement skeg and allowing it to cool will remedy this. The plastic mold wants to return to it's original shape. It just needs a little assistance. This video should help: https://youtu.be/I3UbOhLz8L4 (note the folding starts at 11:27) also Explorer Kayaks print instructions: https://www.seaeagle.com/img/InstructionalPDF/ExplorerKayaks.pdf (pg9).

We like the Explorer better than the Fast Track because it is deeper so waves will not splash over the sides so easily and less show more... worry about gear falling out. It does not track quite as well but we added a couple extra fins up front to help with that and we like it. We generally use canoe paddles to avoid being dripped on but it is faster with kayak paddles. It is a well made boat and very versatile. It's a good camping boat - which is mostly how we use it. I do wish the self bailing drain plugs sealed better. They don't leak much but even a little water means we have remove the floor and dry things before putting away. We always leave them in so will probably try sealing them permanently in some way. Overall, we like the explorer a lot. It's stable & safe and goes along pretty well for an inflatable. It's also light weight and easy to carry and stow. I would give it 5 stars if the drain plugs didn't leak at all.

I absolutely love my Sea eagle 420x it is easy to set up. It feels very safe. It's easy to pack, move and control on show more... the river. My only complaint would be that it is required to have a circuit breaker on the trolling motor but that was not included. So trying to find a circuit breaker then cut it into the line. Leaves me with very little confidence when I go out on the lake because it is now so fragile and ready to fail. If circuit breaker is required why did it not come with one?

I have the Sea Eagle 420x and absolutely Love It. My wife and I have taken on a few trips this year and it has show more... overwhelmingly exceeded expectations! I expected that I would give sacrifice something regarding durabtility, maneuverability or stability, but that is far from the case. We are not experts by any means, but have used canoes and kayaks of many forms, and this has excelled in all cases. Great Job! I also have to add that when I had questions, or had to follow up on adding on to the unit, or getting additional paperwork, Customer Service was polite, and Fast. One of the best I have ever dealt with, Period!

After owning and using the 420X for a while it's proving to be a wise purchase. I can haul it with us on vacation without show more... hassle and has given us a chance to experience new places. It still impresses me with the quality and ruggedness. I was worried about having a repair kit and pump with me at all times, and always do, but realized after a few trips I'll probably never have to make a field repair. Also, glad I went with the 420X as my wife and I like to have plenty of room to pack a cooler and gear.

We love our Kayaking in it with our dog . So easy to setup, we have it in are RV ready to use all the show more... time best investment for alot of fun .

Awesome product! Great experience ordering, receiving, and service. But I have to say, I was a bit skeptical on the stability and toughness, but I’d show more... take this in class 4 without much worry, though I didn’t buy it for that. Great kayak all around!

I love my 420. Great quality, easy to inflate and store.

Our Sea Eagle Kayak has been wonderful. We have used it on rivers and in two Great Lakes so far. It is not like other show more... kayaks. It is so stable we use it as a swimming platform as well as a kayak. We bought it so we could easily take it on vacation rather than strapping hardsided kayaks to the top of our car. Our Sea Eagle is too long for super narrow fast steams so I will probably buy smaller one person Sea Eagles in the future for that. But for now, this boat is perfect for us.

We love our kayak. It's very sturdy and fits nicely in the trunk, and is big enough for us two grandparents and two elementary age show more... grand daughters. We've learned - through a mistake - that the skeg is vitally important to navigation. With the skeg in place, navigation is a breeze.