Sea Eagle 393rl Inflatable Kayaks and Canoe Reviews

I LOVE my Sea Eagle! I do mainly river and lake kayaking but have had it out on Lake Michigan (staying in sight of shore). It is easy to paddle, tracks well, and best of all fits in my backseat! I had traditional hard shell kayaks and tried roof racks and a then a trailer but they were awkward to handle alone. The Sea Eagle folds up in the back seat of my compact car, inflates in less than 10 minutes and I am on the water. I did several group paddles and got lots of compliments and questions on it. I totally recommend it and plan to get a second one in the spring!

Bought my 393RL in spring 2017 after owning a 385 Fast Track for two years. I was very happy with the Fast Track I just found it a lot of effort to paddle long distances and hard to keep up with friends in hard shell canoes on long trips. The Razorlite takes significantly less effort to paddle. It easily keeps up with and even outpaces standard canoes. The RazorLite tracks dead straight with the skeg attached but I also find that makes it harder to steer. Without the skeg it still tracks reasonably well and steers with much less effort. Because of this I find it easier to use than the Fast Track in very shallow water as the Fast Track does not track at all without the skeg. Setup and take down time are much less than the Fast Track. The included back pack style bag is an upgrade from the duffel style my Fast Track came with and is much easier to carry though harder to get the boat in the bag. Only downside is the manual pumps break often/easily and current model RL can't be cleaned between floor & hull.

I like the kayak overall. Positives include ability to carry in back of SUV, fairly quick inflation time, and apparent sturdiness. Less than positive but not wholly negative include inferior maneuverability compared to fiberglass kayak w rudder, difficulty in cleaning debris from deep crevices and fully drying the crevices to prevent mold while storing. Most disappointing is the impossibility of using the “backpack” as a carrying device once it was removed the first time. There is no way this kayak, once used, can resume its size and shape that it was packaged in, and then try to cram in all the accessories! So, storage is a problem in a small house. The kayak sits folded up, outside the “backpack” full of accessories.

The 393rl is a smooth, reactive, fun boat on the water. Although it isn't heavy, it is awkward to carry easily and repacking it is frustrating. Multiple tries and many videos later, I am still unable to put the boat back into the bag along with the paddle and pump, as shown on the sites. As a result, I revert to my old hard-shell kayak for trips near home, and save the SeaEagle for when we travel.