Sea Eagle SE370 Inflatable Kayak 1-3 Person-Portable Stowable & Lightweight-with Seat(s), Paddle(s), Foot Pump and Bag

We just got this yesterday and of course, we pumped it up in the living room to test it. It was a little tedious to figure out what went where because we didn't know what we were doing but we just kept looking at the directions.It was much bigger and more comfortable than we expected. In the house it looked positively skinny where you have to put your butt, but when you sit it in it kind of comforms to your shape. I am not "little".. I am about 5'1" and 170 pounds and I was fine. I also put my 2 kids in with me... one weighs 105 the other 67 pounds. There is a little overlapping of feet, but not too cramped. I was very impressed with the thickness of the material it is made of and the workmanship. It was much bigger and nicer than I expected. So today we took it to the lake for a test. Now that we knew what to do my 9 year old basically set it up and pumped it up in about 8 minutes by herself. My husband (5'10" 170 pounds) and the above mentioned 2 kids (342 pound total) took it out. What a hoot! I honestly kind of expected it to tip or sink and then have to pack it up and send it back to Amazon, but WOW!... it was amazing. It tracked straight and went pretty fast... although the lake was very calm when we were there. We have only been kayaking twice (and that was only for an hour each time), so we are not experts but my husband said it felt no different than the hardsided kayak he had used before. If there were a wind I guess it would have been harder, but he was amazed at the performance. I think the double skegs on the bottom really help, because other brands that don't have the skegs seem to have alot of poor performance reviews, but that is just my opinion. Then my husband let my kids do it alone (just the 2 of them) and they did great! They didn't go far, but they were able to handle it and maneuver it well.It was a little bit of a pain to try to dry it off enough (we went late in the day so we couldn't let it air dry), and you have to get into the nooks and crannies.. but we did what we could and when we got home we pumped it up in the basement near the dehumidifier so hopefully it will finish drying it off.Once you know what you are doing, it only takes a few minutes to pump it up.I did alot of research before I made this purchase, and it seemed that this was the best for the money... and I am very happy. I actually was thinking of the Sea Eagle 330 and was about to buy it when I checked the prices and the 370 was actually $25 less than the 330 that day (and $75-125 less than the 370 had been a few days before). Now I see the price has gone up again, but keep checking as the price seems to fluctuate. (I actually paid $224 for the 370 about a week ago)So if the convenience of not having to cart it, store it, carry it, like a hard sided one (not to mention paying more) appeals to you... give it a try... I was more than pleasantly surprised.And thank you to all the other reviewers that helped me make this decision!9/2/12 We took it out again to the same lake and had even more fun with it. My husband and the 2 kids decided to try to get to the other side of the lake. It had taken about 25 minutes in the hard sided kayak, so I waited about 5 or 6 minutes before I got in the car and went to meet them on the other side of the lake. I couldn't see them so I prepared to sit and wait in the car. Next thing I knew my kids were knocking on the window of the car... THEY HAD MADE IT BEFORE ME! My husband said it seemed to move quicker than the hard sided one he had used before. Also we had people watching us pump it up. One person came to talk to us about it and said he was going to get one based on what he saw with ours and the fact that even the kids could handle it. Still really happy with the purchase. BUT, although the bag is big, it is heavy and the kayak and pump, etc do add up to more weight than I want to handle... so I am getting a tub with wheels on it so I can drag it to the water easier.8/24/13 Still Happy!~ Working great! No problems! I am not that strong, so I bought a garbage can on wheels to store it in. I can pull it out of the van and wheel it to the lake. Dry it when done and wheel it to the car and into the storage area at home. No problems, no mold, still good as new! BTW, drying it is much easier IF you dump the water out of the self bailing plug in the end (which I just noticed! Duh!)

I'll start by saying I am a woman of 50 is the new forty generation. I have a sit on top fiberglass kayak but it's a pain to take in and out and then put in the car. I researched various sites and decided on this Sea Eagle SE370. It's great for two and I had no problem taking it out on my own.First let me say the instruction video on Sea Eagle site shows how to inflate and deflate your kayak. They make putting on the rings around the valves easy. IT IS NOT. I lost three nails before I decided to call. The woman was wonderful and said I only needed to place them in hot water for 5-10 minutes, then stretch them over the valves to have a nice tight fit. Thankfully you need to do this only once per valve but for goodness sake, shouldn't they share this little tidbit with the class?The kayak and seats blow up quickly in about 12 minutes. Make sure you tighten the valve caps one last time before putting it into the water. I found if i deflate the bottom seat a bit it's more comfortable and make sure you have the top portions of the seat fully inflated to give you a strong back support. Also, get the upgraded seats as the others look to be what one would use lying against in a bathtub.The kayak is easy to maneuver. I have taken it out three times now; once with another and twice alone. It tracks well for an inflatable and feels very sturdy. I purchased some loop cable and S rings to attach from end to end as this kayak has no anchoring places to attach my paddle, lunchbox or water. This is very odd from a company that is known for it's innovation. Having said this, it's easy to rig up and the loops keep your things at hands reach and tight against the kayak.I was hesitant to take this out the first time before doing some testing to make sure it didn't have any leaks. The included foot pump is simple, idiot proof and works quickly. The kayak is about 12 feet long so it sat in my basement inflated for two days to see if any air escaped. The Sea Eagle passed and I was ready to set her in the lake.Overall I truly love the experience and convenience. I remove it from the enclosed case, blew it up with the pump and was in the water in under 10 minutes. It tracked well, was easy to adjust to and with winds about 10mph, I felt a little pull but it stayed the course. It was simple to deflate, taking about 3 minutes. I recommend you dry it off before placing it back into the bag.The bag doesn't hold everything as stated. You don't want to stuff everything into it so tightly that it will cause the skegs to bend. I found if they do bend because of the bag being on it's side, a hair dryer for a few minutes will do the trick. As for this bag, it's very heavy. In a perfect world they would have more handles for it. It only has one and it digs into the shoulder getting it from place to place. Still much easier then the hard kayaks.Bottom line: Great exercise. Easy to inflate and deflate. Can go anywhere your feet will take you but get a rolling cart if you have to go a distance. A wonderful way to enjoy outside on the water with confidence, ease and spur of the moment decision. Well done Sea Eagle!