considering buying a Sea Eagle

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

bogart

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 9, 2009
Posts
89
Hi, all,

DH, DS (preschooler) and I have just started RVing with a TT ... love it.  My thing is hiking and that's easy enough but DH's is fishing and there are lots of places where it seems it would be easier to do this if he had some sort of boat.  We'd also enjoy getting out on the water as a family, but DH having a boat he could use and enjoy fishing in solo is the top priority.

I'm eyeing the Sea Eagle 285 pro --  http://www.seaeagle.com/FramelessPontoonBoats.aspx -- (+ an electric motor, probably bought separately).  Anyone out there use it or know anything about it?  It looks small and practical for DH to use to fish from, and large enough to accommodate, in cramped form, all 3 of us, or DH + one of his adult children (either combination ... me + DH + DS or DH + adult kid) would come close to the weight limit the boat is rated for) for a float around a quiet pond or lake, with appropriate PFDs on (not ideal for a group, but fine for casual splashing around sort of boating in quiet, uncrowded waters).

I'd be interested to know your thoughts and if you'd recommend this or something else.  I glanced at the sea eagle FoldCat but honestly it looks to big for the solo use I think DH will be putting it to (not to mention more $$$), and also the PaddleSki but I don't think DH would find that comfortable (and again it looks too long and not great for fishing).

Thanks for any advice!

-- bogart
 
We have a Paddleski and it works great for fishing.  It folds up to a manageable size.  We upgraded the seats and the paddles, I think the one we have is model is 439 something like that.  We've had it on a couple of lakes.  It's easy to manage and very easy to paddle.

Marsha~

 
I have owned several blow up boats and IMHO none of then are worth a hoot.  The problem is they all eventually leak, and most all of them you are sitting in water at some point.  I now have a fold boat and they may be a bit more expensive, but are way more of a real boat.
 
I have owned a SeaEagle 330 for 4 years and love it.  I have used it for salmon fishing in Michigan, trout fishing in Missouri and Arkansas and will be taking it to Alaska next year.  Never had a problem with it.
 
Thanks everyone!

Donn -- do you use a Portabote?  Those (also) look nice, but much more expensive!

Good to know that Marsha and Don are happy with your respective Sea Eagles.  I have searched the archives here and found several happy reports.  It's a bit hard to describe, but my DH has had hip replacements and if he needs to sit for a long time is generally not comfortable unless he can get his calves vertical under his knees (like being in a chair), if that makes sense, so I'm not sure the more recumbent Sea Eagle seats would work for him.  I can also envision him wanting to be able to stand to cast, which seems more plausible on the 285 than your models, but maybe I'm wrong about that.

(Marsha -- we too have a horse as an alternative mode of transport, really just for me though DS enjoys sitting on him -- not quite as much as he enjoys climbing on the tractors out at the barn, though!  Do you travel with yours?  We don't have that capacity and though I'd love to do it, on the road with horse + preschooler is just too daunting a prospect for me...).

Thanks, everyone, for your input!
-- bogart
 
bogart,

At one time we had 4 horses; but we are now down to one old fella.  We lost all the rest to old age. 

Yes, we did travel with ours.  We had a slide in truck camper and a 3 horse trailer.  Lots of fun times in both the So. California area and in AZ.  My husband also rides; but had to work.... ;D so I would go with lady friends who also loved to horse camp.  Times have changed and we now are gone for 5-6 months a year with our RV; and the old fella just can't go like he used to, he's 28 or so.  I occasionally throw a saddle on him and ride around in the arena every once in a while.  When we lose him, we'll probably not replace him unless our 6 year old granddaughter gets into horses.

I agree, a preschooler and horse camping would be a handful...... :D  I did all my horsey stuff after the kids were in school.

Marsha~
 
In twenty years of sailing around the Caribbean and The Bahamas I used probably a dozen different types of dinghies, mostly inflatable boats.  A proper inflatable has several chambers so if one goes bad you'll still have a couple of inflated chambers to get you home.  It is wrong to insinuate that all inflatable boats leak, although with age and wear problems do occur and these problems can be kept to a minimum with proper care of the boat as well as proper usage (don't drag it over rocks, fallen trees, etc.). I would caution against overloading the boat, it is designed for one person.  If you wish to take the entire family I'd suggest something a bit more substantial.  Don't risk the family.
 
Donn said,
I now have a fold boat

Is that a "Folbot?" If so, great boat! Folds up to fit in two packages that are light weight, and will fit in the trunk of a small car. I have had quite a few over the last forty years.

They used to also have rigid ones, that didn't fold up, and kits. We used to buy their kits. We, (my young sons and I) would assemble 30 or so every winter in our spare time, and sell most, every spring. Great fun, and profitable.

I have always had one folding one. Gave my last folding Folbot to my youngest son, a couple of months ago. Didn't have the strength to continue paddling, in a wind. Safer to get it out of here, so I wouldn't be tempted.

It was thirteen years old, and looked like new. He took it out a couple of times and said it performed like new. I have had it in white water and out to sea, (in sight of shore,) in heavy water. I had a spray skirt for white water and sails for flat water. Excellent performer!

Ray D  ;D

Web site
 
Steve -- thanks.  Yes, I certainly realize an inflatable isn't going to last forever but the Sea Eagles do seem to be pretty sturdy (based on what I've seen written here about them) and to have a decent warranty. 

The Folbot wouldn't be right for us (not a shape DH would be comfortable in) but those do look like lovely boats!

Marsha:  the travel with horses sounds great and I'm sorry to hear you're down to one horse though it's great that he's still going at 28.  I have little idea how old my guy is ... he's a former racehorse and has a tattoo in his lip that I should be able to figure his age from, but the first letter is too faded/smudged to read.  I've owned him 13 years and call him "20 something" as I'm pretty sure he's that, but I'm hoping it's the lower end of that as I'd like to get some more good years out of him.  He's a love.  We've done a bit of (tent, for me) camping together but as I say, we pretty quickly ruled out any thoughts of traveling with horse + kid.

-- bogart
 

Forum statistics

Threads
131,753
Posts
1,384,361
Members
137,524
Latest member
freetoroam
Back
Top Bottom