SE370 Deluxe

We just got this yesterday and of course, we pumped it up in the living room to test it. It was a little tedious to figure out what went where because we didn't know what we were doing but we just kept looking at the directions.It was much bigger and more comfortable than we expected. In the house it looked positively skinny where you have to put your butt, but when you sit it in it kind of comforms to your shape. I am not "little".. I am about 5'1" and 170 pounds and I was fine. I also put my 2 kids in with me... one weighs 105 the other 67 pounds. There is a little overlapping of feet, but not too cramped. I was very impressed with the thickness of the material it is made of and the workmanship. It was much bigger and nicer than I expected. So today we took it to the lake for a test. Now that we knew what to do my 9 year old basically set it up and pumped it up in about 8 minutes by herself. My husband (5'10" 170 pounds) and the above mentioned 2 kids (342 pound total) took it out. What a hoot! I honestly kind of expected it to tip or sink and then have to pack it up and send it back to Amazon, but WOW!... it was amazing. It tracked straight and went pretty fast... although the lake was very calm when we were there. We have only been kayaking twice (and that was only for an hour each time), so we are not experts but my husband said it felt no different than the hardsided kayak he had used before. If there were a wind I guess it would have been harder, but he was amazed at the performance. I think the double skegs on the bottom really help, because other brands that don't have the skegs seem to have alot of poor performance reviews, but that is just my opinion. Then my husband let my kids do it alone (just the 2 of them) and they did great! They didn't go far, but they were able to handle it and maneuver it well.It was a little bit of a pain to try to dry it off enough (we went late in the day so we couldn't let it air dry), and you have to get into the nooks and crannies.. but we did what we could and when we got home we pumped it up in the basement near the dehumidifier so hopefully it will finish drying it off.Once you know what you are doing, it only takes a few minutes to pump it up.I did alot of research before I made this purchase, and it seemed that this was the best for the money... and I am very happy. I actually was thinking of the Sea Eagle 330 and was about to buy it when I checked the prices and the 370 was actually $25 less than the 330 that day (and $75-125 less than the 370 had been a few days before). Now I see the price has gone up again, but keep checking as the price seems to fluctuate. (I actually paid $224 for the 370 about a week ago)So if the convenience of not having to cart it, store it, carry it, like a hard sided one (not to mention paying more) appeals to you... give it a try... I was more than pleasantly surprised.And thank you to all the other reviewers that helped me make this decision!9/2/12 We took it out again to the same lake and had even more fun with it. My husband and the 2 kids decided to try to get to the other side of the lake. It had taken about 25 minutes in the hard sided kayak, so I waited about 5 or 6 minutes before I got in the car and went to meet them on the other side of the lake. I couldn't see them so I prepared to sit and wait in the car. Next thing I knew my kids were knocking on the window of the car... THEY HAD MADE IT BEFORE ME! My husband said it seemed to move quicker than the hard sided one he had used before. Also we had people watching us pump it up. One person came to talk to us about it and said he was going to get one based on what he saw with ours and the fact that even the kids could handle it. Still really happy with the purchase. BUT, although the bag is big, it is heavy and the kayak and pump, etc do add up to more weight than I want to handle... so I am getting a tub with wheels on it so I can drag it to the water easier.8/24/13 Still Happy!~ Working great! No problems! I am not that strong, so I bought a garbage can on wheels to store it in. I can pull it out of the van and wheel it to the lake. Dry it when done and wheel it to the car and into the storage area at home. No problems, no mold, still good as new! BTW, drying it is much easier IF you dump the water out of the self bailing plug in the end (which I just noticed! Duh!)

This was my first kayak of any kind purchase. I chose the Sea Eagle because of good reviews I've read, and the price point and portability were important to me, as well as just being a beginner out of shape paddler, I didn't want to invest in anything more expensive, or geared towards serious kayakers. It is easy to blow up with the foot pump, I was surprised how easy and relatively quick, given the size of the boat. It weighs 32 lbs, which didn't sound like much til I tried to lift the bag. It will take a strong man or woman (which I am not) to lift this in and out of the trunk. I need help to do it. Once blown up, it is easier to maneuver. The Sea Eagle comfortably held both my spouse and I, who combined weigh about 450- 500 lbs, and we had no issues (well, except my issues with getting in and out of the kayak, but that's a me thing). The seats were OK once I figure out how to get on it (again, I'm an out of shape newbie just learning). It is great fun to be out on the water paddling, and this inflatable makes me feel safe (as in it's not going to pop or flip!), and feels durable and capable of handling much more abuse than I will give it (like negotiating some mild rapids). I will probably upgrade the paddles at some point, but for a complete starting package, this Sea Eagle was a great purchase!!

Initial Review after receiving product with a follow-up later this summer after several uses. I did quite a bit of researching before buying.Pros - Well thought out. Boston valves make inflation and deflation a breeze. You do have to install the Boston Valves but they're simply screw on valves and are easily threaded onto the hull, seat and floor. It was well packaged when shipped. It is larger than I thought and that's a plus. It has a a huge 650llb limit which means no problem for a couple of paddlers and backpacks. I inflated it and sat in the seats, I got the pro package seats..... one of the things I researched the most. Just sitting in it on dry land its very comfortable. You sit high up and have good back support. The seats wedge between the walls of the boat and fit snugly. They can be re-positioned easily. Foot pump is fast and well built. The floor is a lot thicker than I thought looking at pictures. I used to wonder what that thing was "under" the front of the boat. Well its the floor. This is nice for comfort as well as keeping you high and dry. I'm a photographer so that is important. The carry back is better than I expected. It is a durable canvas. Everything fits nicely in the bag, including paddles. I put the paddles vertical along each side of the skeg protectors for additional protection in transport. The entire bag with both seats, paddles and pump weighed in at 48lbs. My plan is to use this as my 2nd bag when I trip to Florida in a few weeks. Overall, happy with just about everything.Cons - Okay so there's hardly a product out there that doesn't have a few "buts"... I like everything "but". Anyway, As an owner of 3 fishing pontoon rafts I was used to very thick PVC with an inflatable bladder. It gave you confidence that if you hit a sharp rock or tree branch going downstream that you wouldn't get a puncture. While this is made of thick material, it is just a little thicker than a tube towed by a boat. So while I suspect it is thick enough to support wear and tear and use, I would have some reservation about taking this thing in anything but open water or mild streams less than class III. The big drawback to going with the more expensive, more durable kayaks was the weights exceeded 50lbs and I plan on travelling with this. It was a trade off that was important for me. Almost all of the rafts with a 500lb or greater capacity would be over 50lbs with accessories. The other trade off was the capacity. As stated above this thing has an amazing 650lb weight rating which means I can easily go on overnight expeditions with my wife and our gear. Buying a comparable, more durable raft was a $1000. I'll get a better feel with more use. The only other thing is the skeg protectors. The skegs are improtant to protect and its tough bagging the raft without these two things coming off. I would' have liked to have seen a strap going around the raft holding them into place. I might have to DIY that. Cheers.First Use - So just got back from Florida where i took the kayak out on the Crystal River System. First comment is it tracks fine. I had no issues with tracking or stability. As a matter of fact, I was able to put on my wetsuit, fins and mask and slip overboard to snorkel with Manatees then get back on the kayak with no issues. Tracking even in gusty wind was fine. I've never truly kayaked so I can only tell you to expect it to behave like a canoe. I checked the kayak in its Canvas Bag that it comes in with the airline and had no issue with them claiming it was oversized. On another positive note, putting this thing together and taking it down is a breeze. 10 min to full inflation and in the water. Takeout even less. Again, the only negative I can find is I wish the Kayak were made of more durable material. Outside of that, its everything I thought it was going to be when I purchased it.Otherwise, come back in August or September and I'll have more details about use and durability. Cheers.