Explorer 380x

It is great

We bought this 5 years ago to use primarily around the anchorages when sailing. We have now used it a fair amount and will write a review. We have used it in light ocean conditions, flat water lake, and up to class II whitewater.

For the ocean conditions, they were light conditions and it worked well. It is very stable and we felt confident with it as we paddled from the boat to the shore. The kids had a blast weaving around the anchorage.

When in my personal sailboat, which is 20ft, we use it as a tow behind dinghy and it tows well and is very stable. A dinghy can be a problem if it is flipped by the wind.

I haven't done much whitewater. I have done up to class II+ in rafts acting as the guide, but never in a kayak. Two of us tried it out on a short stretch that has mostly class I and II rapids. It was easy to control and had no problems with stability through the rapids. We learned the self-bailing worked well, but if a substantial amount of water comes in at once, the valve covers will flap down. We had to pull off to the side with the boat completely full after the first rapid. We tucked all the valve covers under the bottom so they couldn't flap shut anymore and had no problems the rest of the time.

I just took it out on a flat water lake. Very clam conditions. Minimal wind. I haven't paddled much, but am trying to get ready for a sea kayaking trip. I had the skeg in place and looking at my GPS track afterwards, they were almost a perfectly straight line as I sighted areas on the shore. My total time was 58 minutes for 3 miles which I think demonstrates a fairly good speed. This was with one person in the boat. Later, with my 11 year old who has a need for speed, I was able to get it up to about 4.5knots, but that was my max.

I agree with others about the pressure, but I use a larger pump for all of my inflatable devices that has a gauge on it. I can fully inflate this in about 10 minutes with that pump.

One reviewer mentioned the carrying bag. This is a bit of a challenge. I have learned how to deflate and roll it up to fit in the bag fairly well, but it is hard to get the paddles in. As the larger pump won't fit, we have a separate place for the pump and paddles.

The only negative was the paddles. It appears that they have changed them, but the press button for connecting the paddles became corroded in salt water with minimal use. They told us that was a reported problem and sent us some new buttons for free to replace. They asked that we just sent them pictures of the ones we removed so they could share with their supplier.

In all, very happy with this.

When I got into kayaking a couple years ago, I wanted something that could handle up to class 4 whitewater, but also be good for taking my kid out on the water with as well as doing overnight trips on the river. I ended up choosing the 380x. No regrets. It is a great IK if you are beginning, and even great if you are doing whitewater and are an amateur.

Stable kayak, versatile - from lakes, big rivers with calm water (put the fin on), and even fast flowing creeks with serious whitewater (unleash the self-bailers). I've done all different kinds of water in the 380x and have had great results. My only con really is storage and length sometimes. It's not really meant to do long 5+ days on the river, unless you pack efficiently. Can be difficult fly fishing (fishing is good with the fishing seat attachment). Also, the length can get you into trouble if you are whitewater kayaking creeks or small rivers with tight corners and eddies and tall canyon walls. I have slammed into rock walls and trees on challenging whitewater. The 380x kayak still held up, and I haven't had to patch it yet with about 20 river trips thus far, about 10 in whitewater.

I recommend for the newcomer and even the amatuer whitewater kayaker. This kayak covers a lot of ground.

I give the 380X a 9 rating but that really should be a *9. The asterisk is because this is marketed as an all water, versatile kayak and it is... it's just not equally good on all types of water.

First, where the 380x shines, white water. This is what the kayak was really designed for and it does it well. With the skeg removed this boat is very turny and for white water paddling that is a good thing. It will go straight if you use good technique but when you need to turn you can do it on a dime. It rides nicely over waves and when water does enter the boat it drains quickly out of the 16 self draining ports. Also, the drop stitch floor can be inflated to a very high pressure (14psi) and that makes the boat very rigid. The only down side, and the reason for 9 rather than 10 stars, is a significant amount of water does enter the boat through the drain valves when they are open. This adds mass to the boat and while I didn't really notice any difference in turning, it can sap some of your burst, not a great thing for white water. This can be mitigated somewhat by making sure the floor (it's removable) is strapped down tight and the pontoons are properly inflated as that will help reduce the water intake. On the plus side, I've found that if the floor is inflated to at least 4 psi I am not sitting in a puddle of water like on a kayak with an I-beam floor (I'm 6'6", 230 lbs) I have seen a few reviews that complain about getting wet when the valves are open and I honestly don't quite know how to respond to that. If you are paddling white water you ARE going to get wet, if you are doing it in a SOT kayak water IS going to enter your boat so... If you are not on white water closing the valves keeps the boat high and dry which brings me to the next section.

Flat water paddling in the 380x isn't actually too bad, as far as inflatable kayaks go. Assuming we are talking about a somewhat protected, deep river for example, you just put the skeg in and the kayak tracks as well, or better, than any hard shell SOT I've ever paddled. It's not even all that slow. It isn't keeping up with a hard shell sea kayak, or even a skin on frame, but as far as inflatables go it isn't terrible. However, it has very little glide which means to maintain your forward progress you have to maintain a moderate frequency on your stroke, there will be no mini-breaks in this boat. I give it a 7 for good tracking and reasonable speed.

On open water the big pontoons start to become your enemy. Wind is not fun to deal with in the kayak, and while that is true on any water craft it is especially true of the inflatable kayak. The skeg will keep you tracking straight, even in relatively high winds but you will notice the wind is going to push you quite a bit. On the plus side the boat is very stable, handles swells and waves very well and is actually pretty fun in a surf zone. Still, if you are primarily looking for a boat for open water and are insisting on an inflatable rather than a folder, then you might want to check out the Sea eagle fast tracks or the Razorlites they are supposed to be decent on flat and open water (can't say, I've never paddled them). As far as the 380x goes, I give it a 5 for open water just because it will easily ride out most water conditions, but plan some extra time in getting to your destination.

Okay, those were the specifics for various water types. In general the 380x is highly stable, the drop stitch floor gives the kayak tremendous rigidity (more so than any other inflatable, some of them quite a bit more expensive, that I've paddled), it tracks very well with the skeg in, it is easily manageable solo but can be used tandem (it's going to be a bit cramped for taller paddles in a tandem configuration though), more than enough room and weight capacity to carry all your gear for an extended trip. It's tough, you aren't likely to puncture it on anything that wouldn't hole or crack a hard shell but if you do manage to puncture it, field repairs are easy (certainly easier than a hard shell). It is easy to set up, fits in the trunk of even a small car, and the removable floor makes clean up at the end of the day very easy. To be honest, you aren't going to find a better (inflatable) boat in this price range or even for 30 or 40 percent more. Great product, lots of fun to paddle and it comes with a 3 year warranty and 180 day, no questions asked, return policy (if you buy direct from SeaEagle). Hard to go wrong with that.

Pros:
-It bails quickly. I have sat, stuck, in a class III rapid, and witnessed the kayak not filling all the way.
-Space. Despite being the same length as the 370, it has far more elbow room, due in large part to the drop-stitch floor.
-Material. It's tough. You'll have a very hard time puncturing either boat, but especially the 380x which is far tougher.
-It sits lower in the water than the 370, so it isn't affected by wind as much.
-It has a removable skeg. This helps to track better on flat water.
-You can use either the high back or the low seat, and both secure to the boat.

Cons:
-The removable skeg. If you are on a rafting trip with stretches of flat and whitewater, just leave it out. It's annoying having to flip the boat over and take it out, put it in, take it out, put it in. If you are in low water, also, take it out.
-The self-bail design is poor in comparison to NRS's boats. With theirs, you are sitting dry; with the 380x, you are sitting in two inches of water all the time. Since the plugs are on the underside It doesn't matter whether you have just one or all 16 plugs open.
-Closing or opening the drain plugs is a royal pain in the rear. Even with the boat completely deflated, it takes effort; with it inflated, you need little monkey hands to get to them.

Cons:
1. Very slow in flat water.

You can find my detailed review (constantly updated with my experiences) with pics at:
http://funonbayou.blogspot.com/2015/03/sea-eagle-explorer-380x-brief-review.html

I have had different types of hard shell and I can honestly say the Explorer soft shell 380x is an amazing Kayak very forgiving, you can sail, add a motor or paddle it. at the end of the day deflate it and pack it in your car trunk. this Kayak is very rugged and durable awesome unit highly recommend it.

I still like the boat but with the design as it is, the floor needs to be thicker to displace the water so the rear paddler sits at or above the water level and the self bailing feature really works, because as it is now, it really isn't a self-bailer, at least not with the high back seats.
I can attest to the fact that even filled to the brim, it still CAN be paddled.

With the directional stabilizer boat tracks straight & moves slower than a kayak but faster than a canoe.

Paddling into a strong headwind requires effort but this is really a great boat that will handle open water & for some reason is easier paddled sitting up front as possible, & even easier when there is some weight behind you as the boat will carry it's momentum better.

Big waves & boat wake are easily handled & still water is surprisingly fast.

Tandem paddling gets you moving at a brisk pace & there is lots of room for two people to sit comfortably with some gear.

The Deluxe seat will put you higher up than the Pro seat & is also a good platform for fishing. You can jump from the dock into the boat without worrying about tipping.

This is a very fun boat & it will do everything from solo to tandem paddling with relative ease. The 380X was faster than the 340X solo. See my 340X review.

In flatwater any substantial wind will seriously affect your progress and while this may be true of all water craft the effects are really serious with the sea eagle. We purchased the boats for long (read 7+ days) treks in rivers of Canadian wilderness. The boats are great for that. Have taken them in Class 3 rapids fully loaded, while you do get wet, the boat rides the rapids just like a raft. No more long portages. One benefit of these inflating crafts is that they load on aircraft at a fraction of the cost (or impossible for) hard shell watercraft. They pack inside your vehicle and no wind drag. We plan more river trips in 2008.

I agree with most other positive comments on this site (regarding comfort, paddling, skeg etc). When loaded with equipment in flat water with chop the self bailing plugs usually do not work very well.

Two 6' 180lb guys fit in the kayak/canoe comfortably. If I would have adjusted the straps on my seat more I could have put my legs straight out, so the interior has plenty of room. I haven't tried it without the rudder/stabilizer; with the stabilizer in place it tracked straight. I felt the 380x was a sturdy, reliable craft. Since the bottom has so much surface area you can't get moving that fast, but it turns ok and is comfortable. One negative is that it seems a bit wide for the type of strokes I wanted to do. Since you're not packed in like a sardine you've gotta pay for that comfort somehow!

I'll try to post a follow up when I do some summer paddling, but I predict this will be very enjoyable for some leisurely River Running and Class I/II action, with a little current to keep things interesting.

For someone looking for a recreational paddling solution, the 380x is a nice combination of comfort, stability, and portability.