Under Construction

2009-03-23T06:43:00.000-07:00

This area will be used for a more less static area detailing the set up, operation, and stowage of the Sea Eagle 380 Explorer. Check back soon. Click here to be doublebad again.

Overview:

The Sea Eagle 380x is a 12.5 foot two man inflatable white water kayak with a load capacity of 750 pounds.

The 380 Explorer features twin pontoons of heavy duty 100 denier material, an I beam inflatable floor, D rings for attaching seats for solo or tandem use, and drain plugs that can be opened for white water operation to keep the craft from swamping or closed for flat water operation to keep the interior dry.

The stern has an attachment point for a directional stabilizer which is similar to a skeg or rudder and improves tracking. In white water use, the quick turning of the craft is preferable to the handling with the directional stabilizer.

Since Sea Eagle now ships the Explorer kayaks with the directional stabilizer standard, it is safe to say that most of these inflatable kayaks are being used on flat water.

The Explorer series kayaks are more stable than standard canoes or hard shell kayaks. They are also slower and inferior in tracking to rigid craft.

The Sea Eagle boats are not high end inflatables, and they are not cheap. They are affordable reasonably built "everyman (or everywoman)" boats.

This site concentrates on the use of the 380x inflatable kayak for flat water touring.

Review after one year of use:

The Sea Eagle 380 Explorer is the most popular in the series. The smaller 340 is indicated for solo white water use, and the larger 420 is sought after by those who need the legroom and extra one hundred pounds of capacity.

Paddling the 380x was more or less intuitive for this operator who is very experienced with flat water canoe navagation, familiar with white water rafting, and breifly exposed to mild rapids in a conventional canoe.

There are some differences and it is recommended that new kayak operators seek instruction, in print or in person and take a boating safety course.

For the first season, this owner abused the boat pretty badly. It lived in the trunk of my sonata and was used on more days than it wasn't. In the second season, the foot pump was done for, and the floor had a leak.

Phone support from Sea Eagle has been excellent. While the pump was technically covered by warranty, I broke it using instructions from a dealer site that did not factor in owners weighing 300 lbs with nineteen inch calves that can take a 1400 lb calf raise machine for reps. It wasn't the manufacturer's fault that I did not use common sense.

The technicians at Sea Eagle are good with customers and know their business. For the most part the 380 explorer is trouble free.

I use mine mostly for fishing/touring. As a bass boat this craft has no equal. Using ultra light tackle and a Sea Eagle explorer is old school low tech and thrilling. The inflatable kayak equipped angler will access waters not available to various other craft, and have a high quality, reasonably affordable experience.

Paddlers under 220 lbs can have a very affordable experience with up to class III rapids and any flatwater with the Sea Eagle Sport series. The 330 holds 500 lbs and two smallish folk while the 370 accommodates two reasonably up to 650 lbs. The Sport series is the most popular in the Sea Eagle line.

As a touring and wildlife observation platform the explorer series are hard to beat. The boat is quiet and graceful with minimal practice. On my first outing I was getting close to sunning turtles, bass resting on submerged lily pads, squirrel and deer on the bank, birds of prey, beavers and geese.

One affiliate site describes the Sea Eagle Explorer as perfect for "endless hours of leisurely flat water paddling". True if speed is not your thing. By rough calculation, this operator can manage sustained cruising of two miles per hour. If covering distance is your thing, buy a hardshell or high end folding boat.

If lake and pond fishing is all you want to do, get one of the foldcat series from Sea Eagle or buy a trailer towed boat, according to your budget and preference.

When you are looking for one all around boat that fits in your trunk and spends the off season in a corner or closet, give the Sea Eagle 380 explorer a closer look. If you have money to burn, there are better boats out there.

If money is tight and you weigh less than 220 pounds look at the Sea Eagle sport series. If you could not care less about quality and are a cheapskate, hit your favorite discount merchant and pull that trigger. If you found this page, chances are your search has already given you a glimpse of the bargain rate offerings.

Personally, the 380 explorer is one of the most prized possessions I have ever had the privilege to call my own.

Last summer when I was working, it was a daily ritual to stop at a pond on the way home and unwind with a nice paddle and perhaps some fishing. Weekends were times to plan trips up creeks and rivers or spend the day catching fish. Friends were taken out and turned on the inflatable kayak as a magic carpet and fishing boat.

This year I am dealing with the effects of hard use and minimal care, but the boat still gets me out on the water and with a little effort is coming back up to scratch. Even with a leaking I beam floor and busted footpump, it has gotten me out for some nice floats.

Now that new pumps are in and the floor patched up, the kayak performs as new. Having a season under my belt, that makes the 380 better than it was the first day we sailed. I hope I can last as long as this boat.

UPDATE - Sea Eagle sells replacement I-beam floors for the 380 for $30.00 USD at the time of this writing. This moron ordered two in case I get stupid again. The 380x is better than ever, and the electric pump is a nice luxury. This year I have taken up fly fishing, and the 380x as always excels at getting the skipper to where the fish are.

This page still under construction, please check back soon.

Doublebad's Inflatable Kayak

Under Construction