SEC Inflatable Seat

This is Sea Eagle's cheaper version of inflatable seat which you get if you order the lowest cost package of either of their Sport Kayaks (SE330 or SE370).

This seat is easy to inflate, easy to use, holds air well, folds down very flat for storage, and is versatile to be used in all kinds of inflatable kayaks. The main weakness is that it does not offer the best back support, especially if you want to sit up fairly vertical (which is why we much prefer the Deluxe version of their inflatable seats). Here are a few ways to improve the back support with the SEC seat:

1. Use it in the very back of an inflatable kayak when paddling tandem – then you can put the seat back against something and therefore it gives more support. Just last weekend on the Middle Fork of the South Vermilion in Illinois was an example of this. I was in the back of our Sea Eagle 385FT with a Deluxe inflatable seat, and one of our daughters was in the front of our Innova Sunny using this SEC inflatable seat. She complained about lack of back support, so we switched seats. Then she was fine with the Deluxe seat, but I was still fine with the SEC seat because I pushed it back against the kayak, giving it a more solid place to sit.
2. If you have a kayak with a cross-bar that spans from the left side tube across to the right tube like the Solstice Trekker or Traveller kayaks do, then you can slide the crossbar through the back of this seat. The end result is solid back support, but with more comfort (due to the air padding) than the original Trekker/Traveller seats.
3. When used in tandem, you can have the front person use this SEC seat and place it just right for the back paddler to prop their feet against the back of the seat, one foot on each side of the main back “pillow”, serving double duty (foot rest for back paddler, more back support for front paddler).

So really, if you do not have a way to give it more support as mentioned above, it would deserve only a 6 rating - but I am giving it the benefit of the doubt and giving it some credit for its versatility.