Sea Eagle 285fpb

[will3140]

I am thinking of buying a Sea Eagle 285fpb. This is a single person inflatable boat that has the capability to add a motor. Has any one had any experience with this boat and if so what is your opinion of the boat. Thanks in advance for any information or advice

[MotoBoat]

Sorry, I had a long write up. When I submitted it the page was blank. Lost everything I typed. I am not retyping sorry.

[pizzaman]

I picked up one earlier this year. Got the white and blue model with the swivel seat and motor mount. I use it with a 30lb thrust electric motor. Mostly I enjoy it. It is very stable and pretty comfortable. It also is very rugged. I also got the cart/wheels to haul it and they work great. It fits easily into the back of my pick up. The only negative thing I have is that it sucks to actually row. The seat sits too high so when you try to row my legs are in the way and if it's windy forget it.. Also if I had to buy it again I would go with the green model with the pedestal seat.

[MotoBoat]

What is the difference between the grey/blue one and the green one?

A friend has the green 285 with optional solid floor, and pedestal seat. He is 6ft 2" and stretches his legs out when rowing. I don't know if he uses that canted thing at the front of the boat to leverage against when rowing. What I do notice is the bow plows water, due to the flat front. That and the bow sits deeper into the water from where the seat is positioned, causing the bow to plow during rowing. Rowing looks difficult out of the 285 when comparing to my pram. He has the optional air pump that is high volume? He powers the pump via the car battery. He pumps it up and deflates before and after each use, mostly because he won't own a truck just to haul a boat, and storage at his house won't allow for keeping it inflated. He chose the 285 after purchasing and selling a single man pontoon boat. He did not like the added frame set up, in addition to filling and positioning the pontoons to the frame. I believe the 285 is considered a frame less inflatable. He likes the 285 much better than the pontoon. When we meet to fish, he will arrive 30 minutes early to get a head start on the inflation and set up of his boat so I don't have to wait for him. It is a personal thing, but the 285 would be a better choice (for me) if it could be left at least partially inflated and stored like that. In a garage or shed.

For the boats overall width, the green 285 interior space is rather narrow and long for interior space. Overall outside width is 48" wide, but the interior is perhaps 24" wide (a guesstimate from seeing it 8 times or so). Anyway, seems very narrow and cramped inside. Although, that narrow inside does force you to stay in the center of the boat if standing. A big plus for stability.

Well, that is pretty much what I had typed yesterday, and it all washed away after posting it to be published.

[MotoBoat]

SOB!!!!!!!! That long winded write up dissipated into thin air...........again when attempting to publish! I had luckily copied it before publishing, otherwise that time and effort to help with a comment would have been lost......again!!!!!! It is enough to cause a person to stop posting replies, at least long helpful ones.

I would also like to add, that the seated position on the optional pedestal seat seems very high for stability in rough water conditions. The center of gravity is raised dramatically, which would be a concern. Especially navigating in a river, when the boat turns sideways to the current.

[DavidA]

I have not used or seen any of the Sea Eagles, other than researching them but for 3+ years I fished exclusively out of a Sevylor HF360 (12') and then the same for the Intex Mariner 4 (12'). For each I built a custom floor and added 2 pedestal, swivel seats and a work station. Both were designed to be assembled and disassembled onsite. PM me if this sounds of interest. I can provide much more detail, photos and first hand experience from dozens of trips throughout the year.

[AaronW]

I had the 375fc and I loved it. Caught tons of bass out of it. It is also rugged, so you can beach it and not worry about ramming things with it.

I highly recommend the 375. You can stand up on it and it's very stable. Having the extra space is great for rods and tackle. I bought mine with motor and battery for about 1,300 total new.

[joefishingwashington]

I purchased a sea eagle 285 FPT around christmas, key is to wait till its 20% off from dicks sporting goods or sports authority. Normally for the green one (which is the newest model) with the wood floor, motor mount, and pump its $899 but with 20% off its a much better deal.

I really like mine. Rowing is difficult becuase the ores hit your thighs. A trolling motor and small battery is key, it handles really well with a small motor and is so light you can run it for hours on a battery. You can stand up yes, im 6'3" so very tall, and its stable for sure. Here is a few pics of mine, get one!!

[MotoBoat]

Joe, for $899 would that include the optional pedestal with swivel seat? I have a friend with the Green 285. He rows, no electric motor. I has stood while fly casting, he said he was reluctant at first but feels the boat is very stable when standing. Same height as yourself. When comparing the overall boat width, with the inside available space, is very compact/narrow, that I have noticed. That limited space would keep a person centered within the width of the boat, the most stable position to be in while standing. What is the white water rating for the 285? Watching my friend row, from the elevated swivel seated position, he looks to be sitting to high for river use.....like if traversing the Yakima in high water conditions. Guessing here but the boat is close to 48" (4ft) wide, leaving available inside space at 24 -28" (2ft +). Each pontoon must be close to 12" in diameter? That is where the inside space is lost. Still adequate, especially from the swivel seated position, and looks to be very comparable as apposed to sitting on the floor mounted, air filled seat the boat comes with. The 285 does not track very well when he is rowing, decent row speed. These observations are when I am in my fiberglass 8ft pram. The main reason he was drawn to this boat was to not have to have a gas eating truck to haul a boat around or find storage space for a non inflatable boat. The set up time is 30 minutes. Take down about the same.