Explorer 420x

This is my third Sea Eagle. I always wanted one but was on a low budget with my first one so I got the sport edition 370 it was a great starter and lasted about 10 years. The Razorlite's with drop stitch came out and I was intrigued. While it is great also but as we had explored so much of our area we were making longer journeys and the Razorlite was great in stable conditions and just a little tippy feeling for my partner I use it solo and love it. I got the 420x with the motor package and some cold water gear. Wich makes it about the most stable versatile tough boat we could hope for. It does feel like cheating some times but so nice to point it into the wind and motor right on ahead. Bought a lithium battey and do not regret it.

Just came off a trip on the Yukon River through the Yukon Flats Natl Wildlife Refuge north of Fairbanks, AK with my 420x. The water was high and fast due to a particularly rainy summer. The 420x was perfect for my solo trip. Plenty of room for the steel bear barrel (about 18" wide & high) behind my inflatable "Sea Eagle fishing seat" & for all my gear. The boat was stable and tracked well with the detachable skeg. The seat was extremely comfortable and served a dual purpose as a camp seat. Weighing just under 50 lbs including the boat, carrying bag and the inflatable seat, there was no extra airline baggage charge. Also, the 4 piece kayak paddles fit perfectly in my dry duffel bag and the spare paddle rode nicely in the two velcro strap-on areas along the outside of the kayak, so I could grab it quickly if needed. Although I was concerned about the possibility of snags and abrasions in the hull and side chambers from tree branches and rocks, I had absolutely no problems whatsoever since the material used in both areas of the boat is extremely strong and durable.

All in all I'd give this boat a five star rating. I couldn't have asked for a better boat for this type of wilderness trip.

I live in the NW and have taken this boat on IV+ rivers, at flows of 15,000 CFS+, calm lake trips, and week long river and extended pack/backpacking trips in MT,WA,OR,CO. I have used it even in competitive whitewater festival events such as slalom events(not it's forte, too long for a solo paddler), and downriver races( does very well and gets good solid times).

The Sea Eagle 420x is a big boat, at almost 15 ft long it can be a bit much for one person, especially in III+ water where getting sideways is a hassle because of lack of ballast to weigh down the boat. I also recommend ditching the inflatable chairs for anything but calm water, or do not inflate the seat itself just the backrest, you will float right out of the boat in big rapids ha! I recommend the whitewater packages because of the better seats.

It's rugged 1000 denier pvc takes a beating, I drag it, chuck it, it has been filled and dragged through parking lots with glass and terrible stuff and it always survives. I've done multi-day flat water, and lake trips as well, the skeg is necessary for tracking well, but you can be amazed at how much gear you can load in this boat. I've added some d-rings and thrown thigh straps in her, it makes a big difference in big water

Pros- You can actually put three people in this boat, snugly but you can run whitewater easy!

Tough, Very stable tandem, easy learning curve, bails pretty fast, but don't expect to be dry. Great boat in whitewater up to IV+ tandem, solo III+ is comfortable but a challenging day for me. Awesome price for package. Easy to inflate, easy to clean, deflates and can be packed in minutes good sales and service people.

Cons-Kinda heavy for one person to carry, I have flipped the boat in rapids a few times on solo trips in big water, it is kinda heavy to reflip while swimming and holding a paddle*note this is only in BIG IV water with a solo paddler, in calm stuff it shouldn't be an issue as long as you have your lifejackets and pfds on* can be a little stubborn on stormy or windy days in slack water, or on lakes.

Overall a solid, well made craft that is versatile and fun. I trust this boat, this boat has been used roughly and has conquered many big rivers, it has never failed. I can honestly give it a great recommendation for Beginner-Advanced paddlers who are looking for a good tandem river runner, or a expedition craft.

We had issues the boat would need to address due to our unique geography. We live, work and play in Alaska. We live on the Gastineau Channel. The water we would be kayaking in has an average temperature of 47 degrees. Today's forecast for the channel is a Southeast wind of 35kt and 7 foot seas, air temperature of 45 degrees and rain. The beaches here have razor clams, mussel beds and are rocky. The tides in this area travel at 2 to 3 Kt and the tidal changes are as big as 25 feet. Those are a lot of hazards.

We basically looked for a boat that we didn't have to learn to use, we are amateurs and I am too old to learn to roll the kayak if I flip it over. We want a stable boat because we don't want to end up in the icy waters of the North Pacific. We are limited on space, our house sits on stilts so we have no storage room. The boat needs to be light weight, My wife and I can't lift a 70-pound kayak onto the roof of our Ford Expedition. We want a large capacity boat, not because we're fat, but we have large dogs that we eventually want to take along with us. It needs to carry a lot of weight. We have endless islands we can paddle to and go camp. In Alaska, you always take plenty of gear, if you're going for the weekend, take enough for a week.

After looking at all the criteria, we settled on the Sea Eagle Explorer series kayak and chose the 420x model. This was their largest in the line.
Here's what they say:
Sea Eagle Explorer Kayaks are great wet or dry boats - they are tough enough for class four whitewater, but stable, dry and comfortable on flat water as well. Computer-aided design and state-of-the-art fabrication (98% welded, double overlapped seams w/ 2% additional super strength reinforced glue finish) allows a reduction in weight (9-12 lbs) while greatly improving structural strength. Now with 16 super-fast self-bailing drain valves that can be left open for wet whitewater and ocean kayaking or closed for high and dry flat-water paddling. The Explorers also feature a removable slide skeg for improved tracking on open water. Pound for pound these new Explorers are champions capable of handling any type of adventure! The 420x, the largest of the versatile Explorer Series, this rugged and durable inflatable kayak weighs only 42 lbs, can handle up to Class IV rapids and is also great on the open-water. If you plan on camping, overnight trips or just plain need the extra storage space. The 420x is the kayak for you!

This is the story of our first outing in a kayak.
We pulled the boat out and set it up on the driveway the first time, it took us about 45 minutes to unpackage it, figure out what everything was, how it went together and inflate and assemble it. We were planning to head across to the mainland later in the day (when it warmed up, it was still around 39 degrees) and take her for a spin around Auke lake. We thought starting with a body of water that didn't have tides would be easier than trying to navigate the ocean. Once together we deflated the boat and put everything in our rig so when we decided to take off, it would be packed and ready to go.

An hour passed and we were ready to take off. We were going to leave the dogs out of the equation for the first voyage, we knew that would be easier and less worrisome for us. We were out of the house and I looked out at the channel, it was about 3 hours until low tide, I told Stacy we should just go ahead and take it down to the channel. The water in the channel was low and getting lower, it was at half tide, so the water was moving slow, that would be a good time to try our hand. Nervously, and asking for reassurance that we would be safe she agreed.

It took us 10 minutes from the time we took the bag out of the rig until it was blown up, seats in, paddles assembled and the life jackets were on. Not bad at all. The foot pump fills all three chambers really fast, the two pontoons (or sides) and the floor. Now the hard part, with it at low tide, we had a 200 plus yard walk to the channel across the wetlands. Stacy grabbed an end and so did I and off we went. In pretty short order Stacy was having trouble carrying it. I expected this so it was no big deal. I simply, started dragging it to the water. This wasn't ideal but with a little effort, it worked. The boat was drug over rocks, barnacles, old dock timbers, muskeg and even sand. The bottom of the boat was unharmed.

We turned the boat on its side and installed the removable skeg and put the boat in the channel. Stacy hopped in and so did I. I turned the boat toward Fritz Cove and we started paddling. After paddling against the tide for a few seconds, Stacy said with amazement, "We are kayaking in the north Pacific Ocean!" The boat paddled easily, it tracked very well and we were moving into the wind, and against the tide at a pretty good clip. I have nothing to compare the speed or the tracking of the boat against but for two people that had never kayaked before, it was doing just fine.

Once we were out of the channel we entered Fritz Cove, this is fairly big water, the wind picked up and we were still going against the tide and had no trouble. The boat handled the small white caps well and was very stable. We actually were trying to catch up with a humpback whale I had spotted right before we entered the big water but we were no match for him. After a mile or so we started to get a little cold, the wind in this area comes down off snow capped mountains and has traveled miles on the 47-degree water when hit us in the face so we turned the boat and headed back toward the channel.

We paddled back to the channel and took a quick stop on a sand bar that had become visible now that the tide was lower. I knew that the channel was going to be real shallow in spots so we took the skeg off and continued back down the channel. We immediately noticed a difference in tracking. It took a while to get the hang of it. The boat really traveled left to right with every stroke. The one advantage was we were traveling with the tide so all we had to do is steer. We only high centered once and that was in ankle deep water, other than that we made it back to our take out point with ease.

Here's what we say:
Definitely get high back seats. They were comfortable and easy to install. We were on the water for 3 hours in rough conditions and we weren't complaining about a back ache.

Get the longer paddles, we got the pro package with them and I can see how shorter paddles would be more difficult. Stacy is 5'3" and I am 5'9", and we felt we still could have benefited from a much longer paddle.

We purchased the inflated high cushion but it hasn't come yet. I think the extra 5" cushion will allow you to hit the sides of the kayak less with every stroke and give you more power. Sitting up higher also would not be a bad thing as far as the view here in Alaska. Sitting up higher would allow you to spot sea life on the surface at greater distances.

Also purchased was the inflatable foot rests. They have not arrived yet either but I can see where it would help with stroke power and comfort. We found ourselves adjusting our butts and legs often and many times I wished I had something that I could put my feet on to allow me to bend my knees while sitting.

This is one stable boat. Not once did either of us feel at risk of tipping over or being swamped by a wave. Which is good since we were in over 300 feet of water that was 47 degrees. The seas were as high as 2 feet at one point and the kayak rolled over each wave like it was nothing giving us a smooth ride.

This is a breeze to set up. There are no real clear instructions but it is easy to figure out. Like I stated, the first set up was 45 minutes. Then we were able to be ready to launch in 10 minutes.

It is light, at 42 pounds, one person can drag this boat anywhere. Like all kayaks, they are awkward for even two people to portage but I would rather be awkward with 42 pounds than the 70 plus pounds of a hard shell equivalent.

For open water paddling the skeg works like a charm. The boat tracks very straight. Without it, it is tricky but this boat will also go where other kayaks won't. Around 6 inches of water was no problem for us.

The drop stitch floor is fantastic. It is so firm you can stand up in the boat without fear of losing your balance.

Not sure what to say about the speed of this boat as we have nothing else to compare it with. I will say so many hard shell owners had me worried because of all their talk about how slow inflatables are. One thing I do know is that to people that have never kayaked before, both of us middle-aged and out of shape just paddled into a headwind of 15 mph against a 2 kt tide and thought we traveled along at a pretty good clip. I don't think we will win any races but at our point in life we know how good it can be to take it slow and take in your surroundings. This journey allowed us to spend 10 minutes with a duck that was trying not to become a meal by dodging diving Bald Eagles. It all happened within 15 yards of us.

Carrying capacity we will eventually put to the test. Between the two of us, dogs and camping gear we should be able to give you a report on how it handles when fully loaded. We have some ideas for trips already in the works.

Overall we are extremely pleased with this boat and would recommend it to anyone looking for an all round kayak. We are looking forward to trying it on some class 3 and 4 rivers in Alaska also, it's nice that one boat is versatile enough for all the various water conditions Alaska has to offer.

I ordered a 420x, and took it out with my wife. We live in Iowa, and are used to high winds. Well, I learned going downstream on a slow moving current into a 20-25 mph wind is not a good idea. There are times, when we were going upstream. Was that the boat's fault... no mine. The waves were 2 feet + high, and at no time did I ever have concerns. So I agree with others that these kayaks are not speed demons or masters of handling. What they are, is bombproof, extremely well built kayaks that come with everything you need.

I have to agree with the company that sold me the kayak. The deluxe seats will be better than the pro over half the time. If you plan on going on Level 3+ get the pro seats. However, with the inflation tubes so large, it was hard to paddle. Why, because the deluxe seat I sat in, and I was sitting on the floor. I re-inflated the seat while riding down the river no problems.

One other thing. The newer drop stick floor is awesome. You can actually stand (not recommended), but it is an awesome improvement. I saw one review "the master of all things, not the best at one." Well there is one thing ... The capacity of these boats has to put them at the top for extended trips to the backcountry.

I love this boat, and probably should have given it a ten.

1)It's a helluva load hauler at a listed 855lbs and I have no reason so far to believe this wrong - I've placed 2 giant coolers full, all of my not-so-compact camping gear, my girlfriend up front and my small dog with no problems. I haven't read of another IK in this price range that can claim that.

2) I needed a VERY stable boat with some versatility since my girlfriend isn't much of a swimmer and is just overall afraid of the water (She's slowly getting more comfortable since being in this boat with me). I also wanted to be able to try out different conditions paddling, which includes some whitewater - and this boat, while not too maneuverable, has fit my needs.

My only complaint is the speed it paddles and difficulty in a stiff headwind / crosswind, however with 2 paddlers we've been just fine with 20kts wind - didn't move fast, but reached our destination.

No inflatable can fill all the needs, but if camping, load hauling or just a friendly stable boat that is extremely rugged is tops on your list, this might be the boat for you.