Lives up to its reputation
A really hard made, quality Kayak. Very fun to paddle and very versatile. I love using it as a SUP as well.
One thing i didn't like though was the carry bag which is really bad and not convenient at all and also the fact that it does not have side handles and this makes it difficult to carry alone
Tasos | Greece | September
2024
Hi Tasos, Many thanks for taking the time write your review. If you have any photos of the SE380X in action we would love to share on social media.
Happy paddling in lovely Greece.
The Spindrift Team
Great versatile solid kayak: brilliant for kayak-camping.
I have now used this extensively on multi-day kayak camping trips. I chose it as I wanted a stable kayak that could handle whitewater, and would be tough and able to withstand bumping into trees and rocks and scraping over river beds, in remote locations, fully loaded. It handled long trips (such as 130km River Spey Grade 1-2 whitewater) extremely well, it tracks well on the flatter water and is manoeuvrable enough for whitewater, and just bounces off rocks). I've also tried it unloaded at a whitewater centre, where again it did well, though I did manage to flip it in the end! Because of the drop stitch floor, you can open all the drain holes (you need to tuck the caps under the floor, or they will just float over and cover the drain holes again) and you are not sitting in water, the water just stays under the drop-stitch floor). I now do multi-day trips in whitewater with the drain wholes open all the time. Numerous times I passed canoes that had to stop and bail the water out, whereas the Sea Eagle just automatically drains. A great feature.
What you gain in stability, means it is not the fastest boat on the water, but the faster kayaks are less stable and can't manage higher grades of whitewater. Because it is bigger and tougher, it weighs a fair amount, so heavy to carry alone. It can also take a while to dry, as you have to remove the drop-stitch floor as well to dry thoroughly. Pumping it up is hard work: I would definitely get the motor pump. For short flat water trips I use my much lighter (11kg) Gumotex twist which is very easy to inflate/deflate/pack away and carry, but it does a different job.
This kayak is just brilliant for longer days on the water, especially if there is some whitewater, and if you want to load it with lots of gear.
The other thing I would add is if you do long days, it might be worth getting one of the inflatable cushions (it definitely saved my derriere). I would also get the shallower swept back skeg for rivers.
Nick Snelling | Bristol | June
2023
Excellent product
Very robust, holds two adults and two small children with no sagging and keeps direction very well even in wind. Good one or two man boat. Takes 10 minutes to inflate with an electric pump and rig seats etc and same to deflate although it needs time to dry afterwards before final packing. All in all very pleased
Hywel Watkin | North Wales | October
2022
I chose the sea eagle 380 after reviving great advice from spindrift, they were not pushy and gave what I considered their honest opinion and I would definitely buy from them again. I recommend a friend and he also purchased from them and he was also very happy! The one small issue we had was the reliability of the courier service but this wasn’t a spindrift issue and they did everything they could to keep me updated throughout the delayed delivery process
The biggest like for me is the build quality, it’s extremely well made and gives me lots of confidence on the water. I don’t currently have any dislikes about this product
Steve Hardy | Nottingham | September
2022
Great product and service
The choice of inflatable kayaks on the market is vast. I did my research and decided Sea Eagle was what I wanted spoke to Mark at length about what he thought would be right for our family. Great advice and fast delivery. I would highly recommend.
Andy Parker | London | May
2022