Sea Eagle Inflatable Boats

[pmccleave]

Folks,

Not sure if this is the correct forum for posting this question but here goes.  Has anyone tried out or seen any of the Sea Eagle Inflatable Pontoon Boats?  I am considering one of the 375fc Fold Cats as it would legal on our neighborhood ponds and also for use on small farm ponds I have access to fishing.  I am most  concerned with how stable they are on the water and how durable they are?  Any words of wisdom you folks can lay on me will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Pat McCleave
Wichita, KS

[eezurg]

Pat,

I have the foldcat and I love it. I fish mainly small lakes that are 10-15 acres. Since this is an older posting, I will wait to see if you reply before giving our more info.

[pmccleave]

I would love more about your thoughts on the Fold Cat.

Thanks,


Pat

[TheLastRodBender]

absolutely! I'd love to hear more about these things.   I am going to be purchasing a single person boat soon (leaning towards a kayak) but these things have caught my eye on more then one occasion.

[BenFishing]

 I bought a Sea Eagle kayak for saltwater fishing and spearfishing when I lived in Okinawa, and I was not really happy.  You have to be careful.  I got very good at repair holes.  Fish spines, hooks, sharp rocks, even a back pocket with a zipper on it.  I don't know if they've made a lot of improvement in the material lately, but mine was only 3 years old.  Though, saltwater fish can be a lot more rough on boats, too.


Benefits of a Sea Eagle.  You don't need ratchet straps, or ropes, or a roof rack to drive one around.  It just goes in your car.
They don't take up a lot of room at your house.
With a decent pump, they do fill up fast.
You don't have a giant kayak on your roof, so if you're doing a road trip, you aren't worried about leaving it on your roof overnight and getting it stolen, while you sleep in a hotel.


Down sides.  Even durable plastics/rubbers get holes in them. 
Hard to customize....gotta make sure glues/sealants/adhesives are not corrosive to the hull material.
Yes, you don't have to throw it up on the roof of your car, but, not everybody wants a wet boat that may have been cruising through some nasty water, sitting in their car.
They do store easier than a kayak, or pretty much any other boat, BUT they do take a lot of room in a closet.  And in the garage, well, mine became a mouse home.
They really aren't THAT quick to set-up.  You can get a kayak of the roof of your car, or get a trailer backed up quicker, than you can set-up even the Sea Eagle Kayak.  I've used a Fold-Cat too, and that took longer than the inflatable kayak does.
They really aren't that cheap.  The cheapest kayak they have is around $250, and that's bare bones.  The Fold-Cat is around $1,400.  That does come with all the basics at that price, but you still might be buying an outboard or trolling motor, and possibly a battery.
Not really that light.  The website says the hull alone is 75 pounds.  You still have the frame, the chairs, the chair mounts.
If you don't have a truck, large SUV, or a utility trailer, they DO take up a lot of room in your car or even mid-size SUV.

If your main concerns when buying a boat are that you don't have the storage space for a non-inflatable boat, and you don't want to transport it on the roof of your car, I think the Sea Eagle boats are great.  For many people, they are great boats.  They just don't suit me.
But, if you're looking for something that is cheap, sets up quicker than a kayak, canoe, john boat, and is lightweight, the Fold-Cat really isn't any of those.

These are all just my opinions, my experience with them.