Sea EagleRazorLite Inflatable Kayak - Lightweight, Drop Stitch, High Speed Touring Kayak - Solo or Tandem - Tall Back Seat(s), Paddle(s), Backpack, Skeg and Pump

Just came back from my first paddle in my new boat, a Sea Eagle Razorlite 393rl. It’s an all drop-stich inflatable kayak and short version; I liked it and would probably buy again.I have owned and sold several kayaks over the years along with paddling many others. My current fleet is made up of a Jackson Tupelo, a Native Watercraft Ultimate and a Liquid Logic XP10. I bought the inflatable so I could have something that would fit in the back seat of my truck when my camper is on it and not have to take the boat trailer unless I wanted one of the other boats. Previous attempts at this included two different ORU models. My first kayak ever was a cheap $100 inflatable and it was terrible. The boat flexed with every stroke, the seat was uncomfortable and it was short and slow. The new boat was just over $1000, so I had higher hopes. I had watched over a dozen YouTube videos on inflatables and this boat got rave reviews and generally ranked first for flatwater, so I was excited to take it out today. The boat took about 15 minutes to setup (first time, not too bad) but it is definitely a wet launch. By that I mean that it has a skeg, and I walked out into knee deep water before I put it on, plus getting in was much easier with boat floating. I like the boat, and it’s not too heavy, but there isn’t a handle in the middle of the boat to carry it solo, the handles are on each end. I get it from a design perspective that it must fold up, but those handles would have been nice and maybe I would have put the skeg in on dry land and carried the boat but hey, a little water never hurt. Once in the water, the seat back was great, it’s high and comfortable. The seat base is firm and keeps you up off the bottom of the boat by about an inch and a half so no wet read end, not sure how I’ll like it on an extended paddle but I can always add a gel pad. The foot pegs are awesome, that was a huge factor in my picking this particular boat. I saw reviews complaining about putting them in/out but if you do them when the boat is not inflated it wasn’t an issue, that’s in the manual and the setup video but I’ve still seen reviewers try to put them once the boats inflated, that’s no bueno.Paddling impressions, as I said it has a skeg and it paddled great. Straight and fast and zero flex in the boat when I stroked the paddle. The all drop-stich construction, the skeg and foot pegs are such a game changer in an inflatable. So much better than the ORUs and my prior inflatable in that regard, although to be honest, that first inflatable shouldn’t really even count since it was so cheap. I do think that the boat could easily keep up with someone in my Tupelo with equal strokes. Not as stable as the Tupelo as many other reviewers had mentioned but to me it felt like a sea kayak that I paddled in Puget Sound. After a few minutes on the water I got used to it. Wind on the water today was 15-17, padding into the wind or with the wind the boat tracked great, even better than the Tupelo when going downwind. However, turning in the wind took some work (one review said it turned like a school bus) but again, it’s a long’ish boat with a skeg and no rudder so I’m not surprised. When I first launched the wind was on my side and I felt unsteady, but after a little while on the water I felt more in controlFinal impression and Suggestions for improvement: As I mentioned before, a handle in the middle would make it much easier to carry, and maybe a couple more d-rings so I could have a place to connect a water bottle. The seat back does have a generous compartment for a water bottle and other stuff but reaching that while paddling is a little difficult for us “fluffy” guys. Also, if the skeg had a fold up position I would feel more comfortable putting it on while still on shore. One negative is that I will definitely have to wash it after each use and then let it dry out in the garage before storage, the wet entry/exit of knee-deep water and central Oklahoma’s dirt almost guarantees this, but I’m not thinking of this as my daily boat but more of a road trip boat, so I’m ok with that. Also, the “carbon pro” paddle upgrade over the standard paddle was a waste of $50, I should have known better. The shaft is carbon but the blades are heavy plastic. Not any flex that I noticed so that’s good but can’t compare to my Werner paddle. I was hoping to have a spare carbon paddle for $50 but like I said, I should have known better for the price. Again, this is a first impression with less than 90 minutes on the water, so we’ll see how I like it long term.

These are a great sturdy kayaks. We ordered 2 of them and couldn't be more pleased. They are very solid when inflated and move through the water with little effort. My husband and I are both "senior citizens" and had no problem loading and unloading the kayaks. They easily fit in the back of our Jeep Patriot. It took us a little while to figure out how to fold them back up as the online video didn't match up with our kayaks. We called Sea Eagle customer service and they were very helpful and walked us through the process.The first time out we used the manual pump provided to inflate both of them. It's certainly doable, but not exactly fun. We ordered a Sea Eagle battery operated pump which does NOT have to be plugged into the car cigarette lighter. The pump is amazing and inflated both kayaks with no issues. We carry the folded kayaks to the shore line, unfold, inflate and off we go. Fun Fun Fun

It is very light and easy to handle. However, one of the foot brace rods was not in the box. Have been trying to find one, but have not had any success. A disappointment, to be sure, but the missing rod does not affect the kayak itself. Love the Drop Stitch; I have an older Sean Eagle kayak and this is much better. If a rod could be provided it would be greatly appreciated.

I upgraded to a Razorlite 393 rl (from an Intex). Amazing product!! My mind was blown with the speed, overall performance and quality of this inflatable kayak. Hard to believe it’s an inflatable. I’m able to either keep up or out run (mostly out run) all my buddies who have regular hardshell kayaks (13-14 foot hardshells). Additionally, it’s relatively easy to assemble/disassemble, and fold/pack into the bag. Might take some practice to get good at drying/folding/packing but it’s not hard after you get the hang of it. The bag is large and a bit bulky when the Razorlite is folded up and packed in, but not too bulky or heavy that one middle-aged adult can’t handle it. The packed bag can still fit in the trunk or back seats of a compact car. The kayak can be a bit wobbly and not everyone might like that but that’s expected for a performance-oriented kayak. One thing I love is that since the Razorlite is open you have a plenty of storage space at the bow and stern. There’s plenty of room to put a cooler, manual pump, kayak cart, dry bag, etc. Legroom is fine, seat is firm and supportive. Recommend purchasing a kayak seat cushion to put on the seat if you prefer more cushioning. Also a cupholder. Bottom line, this kayak is great for recreational calm-water kayakers (some light chop is ok) who are looking for a compact/portable alternative to regular hardshell kayaks. Definitely worth the money.

Everyone who tries this kayak are pleasantly surprised at how well it tracks. Highly recommended