I've been using a SeaEagle SE330 for a couple of weeks now. We got lucky and scored a free one on FreeCycle although it did have a slow leak in the bottom compartment. At first, I couldn't find the leak but I think I made it worse while testing out the boat with my dad -- the leak was right in the very center of the bottom of the boat. I used the included patch kit (original from SeaEagle) and cut one of the two big patch pieces in half and glued it on (I went oversized on the patch and gave it about 36 hours to cure before inflating/testing). It has held air well since then and is not that bad to pump up with the foot pump although the "seller" tossed in a free electric/battery/12v powered air pump too (although the lead acid battery built into it is dying)!
Now as to actual paddling/usage, one does have to give up a little to get the inflatable status. I'm used to hard sided canoes and I've used the typical plastic kayaks a bit too. When I dig in with the SeaEagle, I can feel the whole thing flex a bit and take away some of my effort. So it's hard to power it forward with hard heavy strokes/digs. But it is much better than I had expected. It tracks fairly well with some weight in the front (people or if it's just me, I put in about 3-4 gallons of water by using a partially filled 7 gallon water container). If there is no weight in the front, it doesn't track well at all plus the flopping of the front if there are any (even small) waves is annoying (it's a sound and feeling kind of thing).
I tried some solo fishing from it and it's not bad. I don't know how far I'd want to paddle it out but I grew more confident with it and it's abilities.
Now the real question is given this was free, would I still buy it for $249 or buy one of the hard sided kayaks from say Walmart? That is a tough question. If it was just me, I'd be tempted by the $248 10 foot fishing kayak I saw at Walmart the other day. But that is a single seater and this SE330 lets me take along our two young boys or even my wife and the two boys (we're under the 500 pound weight limit but it does say max 2 people...).
In end end, I feel like the SE330 isn't really great at anything except being easy to pack, fairly easy to pump up, not too bad at paddling and carrying a fair amount. I do think it's good value but if you don't need the multiple person capacity, I personally would opt for a hard sided kayak (but I'd have to deal with mounting/loading/unloading so it brings some of it's own hassle/downsides). I'd say the SeaEagle isn't quite the boat you want but it's probably a solid choice that will either satisfy you and work out great or at least solve the problem of having a boat in the short term well enough while letting you ponder which route you want to go for the next boat(s).
Edit: I forgot one thing, my SE330 came with the cheaper seats and they are fine but originally I was using them the wrong way (sitting on top of the back) and that had me in a higher position which was much nicer for paddling although it was less stable. The reason why higher was nicer is the inflatable side tubes are a bit higher by 1-2 inches (or so) than one would want for ease of padding. So with a hard sided Kayak, I think you're getting more easy of paddling as the big tubes aren't in your paddle zone. Just something to think about -- it's one more thing in the "less efficient" category for the SeaEagle. The other thing you'd get with hard sided is more glide too.
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2007 3124KB, 40 gallon water tank, weight distributing hitch
2006 Toyota Sequoia SR5 4WD
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