Launching Sea Eagle 437 PaddleSki ( 437PS ) in Jupiter, Florida

[@WillyK51]

I started with an inflatable back in the 1970's. If you have a place to keep it semi inflated, loading it on a roof rack, will save you plenty time unpacking and packing. Eventually got a 12 Ft Alluminum Starcraft and cartoped it for several 1000's miles.

[@TroyD-vo1bz]

Great video. I have the 437PS as well. These are really fantastic for rv's. I rigged up a mount for my six horsepower Mercury by modifying a bicycle rack. That way I can also put the paddle ski in the car with the six horsepower outboard outside hanging off the trailer hitch and rack. If you do a search for Hawaiian Dan from Sea Eagle he kind of shows how he set it up and how he does it. These boats are certainly well suited for electric motors as well. I picked up an inexpensive electric pump as well and the thing inflates in under 10 minutes. Nice thing is you can reverse the air flow and get all the air out of it as well which makes it more compact when it's folded . And one suggestion I have is put your wheels underneath the transom when you're moving it. It will be easier to move and also supports the boat better.

[@avoleoo]

Thank you. Indeed wheels closer to the end works much better!

[@robertjr.flores3018]

Excellent demo on set up. Helpful to compare with the set up video of your SeaEagle Skiff 16ft. Appreciate the comparison with the equipment you have on each vessel. The process with the trailer wheel use and storage was helpful. I do like the simple compact set up you are using with your Garmin fish finder and how you connect with battery power. On your first video, I thought you may have had a battery inside the tackle box that assisted with weight to keep stable. Thanks for the instruction and ideas, Amigo.

[@avoleoo]

The grey battery is for pumps, fishfinder and my backup motor. Its 12v 60ah lifepo4. The small motor draws 13amps only, I figured plenty of power to get me home. I will make a separate video on this diy battery next time.

[@n8goulet]

Thanks for putting up the Paddleski video. I love my Paddleski's. I have the 437ps, and two 435ps's (I bought one only to have a spare if my original gets....worn out as it's unavailable to buy another new one). I've had a Torqeedo 1003s for about 10 years, of which the ePropultion is a knock off of. There was nothing like it when I bought, but now there are a few competitors. The 437ps has a lot of room if compared to say a kayak, but loaded up with fishing gear and two people would be tighter than a regular motor boat. Can't beat the portability. My first 435ps is 15 years old this year. It's been used over 500 times, at approx 150 locations. This is my favorite of them because I like to use it as a kayak, but with a decent motor and sometimes sail rig. It paddles much easier, and smaller tubes and slightly smaller size makes it a lot faster to fold back up, deflate and being lighter it's easier to take out of the trunk or drag to the water (when I don't feel like adding a couple mins to hook up the EZ-Cart) if I'm close enough to the water to carry it 25 feet or less. The 437ps does offer a tad more room, and can take a 5 or 6HP motor, and stand up casting. But I'm not fishing and the small Torqeedo fits in my car. The 437ps design is a little safer with 5 air valves. The 435ps is less time consuming to setup/tear down and most of my trips on the water are usually short between 1.5-3 hours.. If I was to spend more than 4 hours on the water and didn't care about kayak paddling, the 437ps worth the extra effort to me if I have company. The 437ps can do some paddling, but is much harder unless your going with the wind/current or it's glass flat. Still paddles well enough to motor out and then paddle a short distance to sneak into those fishing spots if it's calm. But it's not a kayak like the 435ps. You should join our FB Sea Eagle Kayak, SUP owners group to share photos and experiences if your not already in the group.

[@avoleoo]

Amazing, I am glad to know they last that long!

[@n8goulet]

@@avoleoo 15 years old, and it's never been patched either. A "minimum" of 500 uses. It would be a lot more, except I have other Sea Eagle's too like my Razorlite. Between March to November I'm out all the time, often several days a week. How long they last is partly dependent on the type of glue used for the seams. What they uses varies and sometimes the government forces them to change, lake any inflatable company. Other factors are how you store it and how you take care of it. When I come out of the water, I place mine on a tarp, towel dry it, and clean it with Simple Green when needed. When I use mine in salt water, I make sure I use it on a lake with in a few days to really clear out the salt. Some people will hose it off. I've heard the 3M protector can help the boat too, but I haven't use it so far. Certainly for those that leave it out in the sun for days at a time certainly should. Another big factor I've learned, boat launches are the most likely place you'd get a puncture. It's best to get your feet wet, and almost make sure your not dragging the bottom at the launch on the boat ramp or some kind of surface other than smooth sand. If you join our FB group you'll get a lot of tips from Sea Eagle users. My Razorlite did experience a puncture on the inside next to a seam. Not sure what caused it, I used it for 3 seasons. Clean as a whistle. I've not yet attempted to patch it and it might be difficult with the place it's at. Praying for good luck, because I love my Razorlite too. My other 6 Sea Eagles are all fine. Put a couple holes in one of my SE330 at the launch, and learned not to drag over gravel or surfaces like that. Now I just get my feet wet and make sure my boats are well in the water and not going to drag on anything. The SE330 patched up fine. Best to be careful and know how to avoid needing to ever patch it.

[@avoleoo]

@@n8goulet Thank you! Yes, I did join the FB group :) have not posted much there yet. I always wipe my boat off after each use, have not washed it yet since its been out only twice. Im planning on ordering that 303 protector that everyone is recommending so much.

[@la8d]

I'd also like to see a boat retrieval video. Thanks!

[@sutv6754]

Great view and video. I use a Sea eagle se09. Because of the hull I can't go upstream river if there is a current. I understand this boat has a better hull for that. Do you go upstream against the current? I would probably use the Water Snake 70lbs thrust. Please let me know what you think. I do not fish I am a wild life photo and video man. I am mostly by myself. I go on the Delaware river near Bushkill PA. Thanks.

[@avoleoo]

@@sutv6754 I have only taken it out in the lake, cant really advise :(

[@hntrains2]

The 437ps is a big boat. It's long and it's wide. True enough, it would be better for one fisherman like you - lots of gear, lots of electronic devices -, but it should work for two just fine. Perhaps, you could get creative adding storage spaces?! On the tubes (where they would not get in your way)?! Also, you could leave the wheels behind, seeing how you have no need for them at all while on the water. Nice to see you going for an electric motor! Such concern for nature - as well as for the other people on and around the water - seems to be rare in that part of the world: the boats you pass by have, all, massive fossil-fuel motors, whose impact on the environment will be fully suffered by the children and grandchildren of the owners of those boats.

[@BTSflyer]

Thanks for the video I recently bought a Paddleski and will be trying it out this week. I got the same air pump you got the Shark. I had not thought about getting a second air pump but I can see that it would help with setup time. I got the 70 lb watersnake because of the price and couldn't justify the price of the torqeedo for a few mph faster. Trying to think. of a way to launch the paddleski and removing the wheels without getting my feet wet. I think not having the wheels strapped down and letting the paddleski float away from the wheels them pulling then to shore maybe a way to do it.

[@avoleoo]

Thanks for the comment. I have two pumps for the Fishskiff 16, to be honest, one pump is enough for the Paddleski, I would not invest in the second.

[@BTSflyer]

@@avoleoo I do have a boston style pump that I could put the proper attachment to inflate the side chambers but would have to top them off with the Shark.

[@gilfolsom5980]

Thanks for the video! How do you like your E propulsion motor? How is your experience with the range on it? Looks a bit cramped with two and all the fishing gear.

[@avoleoo]

Epropulsion is an expensive toy, I think it is overpriced for what it is but at the same time I like it. I also have Mercury 2.5 that I no longer take out, this is just so much easier! You can expect 12 - 15 miles at 4mph.

[@BTSflyer]

Another thought. Sea Eagle sells solar panel set up which would be ok if you got the money. A better solution is get a second lithium battery. That cost less than a solar panel with built in charge controller. I got a second battery. The 70 lb Watersnake comes with a Anderson connector. So I found company that sells custom cables and order one with Anderson connector on one end and ring lugs on the other. The plan is when one battery is used up I can quick unsnap its Anderson connector and then snap in the other battery very quickly. Otherwise I would have to removed the wingnuts and switch out cables which would take more time.

[@avoleoo]

Yup. I have a second battery. Have never used it so far. :)

[@BTSflyer]

@@avoleoo The prices on 100AH batteries have come down. Right now I have a 55AH lithium I used on a sailboat I use to have and felt like I need a bigger second battery. Basically 55AH will be used as security to get me back home if I use up the 100AH. If the 100AH is plenty I will sell the 55AH. Also the 100 has bluetooth to see the condition of the battery from your phone. My 55 doesn't have that.

[@five_minutes]

Enjoyed watching your set-up and launch. What shaft length is your Spirit 1.0 plus? Thanks.

[@avoleoo]

Long shaft

[@five_minutes]

@@avoleoo Thank you.

[@SuperLooneyrooney]

Way too many gizmos and gadgets for me as I'm a simple guy , but a nice routine nonetheless. AS long as you make the journey and enjoy it. I got my paddleski a few months ago and have only used a few times, but it has met 95% of my expectation

[@uasflightservicesllc3552]

Hi Just got my PaddleSki and motor, where do you get your registration numbers for the side of your paddlie ski? I'm a Florida resident too over on the West coast, I have the same set up as you. Thanks

[@euananderson6136]

Hi Thanks for your video, I have a long shaft e-propulsion motor like yours, on that paddle ski how shallow can you run before you started touching bottom,?I like the craft I'm just not sure if the transom is a bit low for the long shaft motor to run in shallow water, thanks

[@avoleoo]

@@euananderson6136 Cant run too shallow, something that I noticed as well. Dont know exact depth in inches but the motor goes deep. Over 1ft for sure

[@euananderson6136]

@@avoleoo Thanks, I bought the paddleski this week and you are right it runs deep, I'm going to build another transom 8 inches higher, that will fix it.

[@BTSflyer]

I another question, took my paddleski out for the first time with me and my daughter and we were fully loaded. To my dismay the paddleski wouldn't track straight at all. I had to constantly adjust the steering and could never find a sweet spot where it would go straight but only for a few seconds. Maybe too much weight and the paddleski acted like a monohull which are hard to control with just a trolling motor. I did have a sailboat before and it I didn't put down the centerboard the wind would blow it out of control while using the trolling motor on it.

[@BTSflyer]

Next time I take it out will go a lot lighter and going to use a trolling motor rudder on it and see if that make any difference.

[@razvanno]

Any link / video for the cart wheel ? Thx 😊

[@BTSflyer]

Looks like you have the cart wheel too far forward. It seem you can't rise up the bow very much without dragging the stern. It might work better if the wheels were behind the rear seat.

[@avoleoo]

Exactly, figured this out on my second run :) thank you for the tip.

[@stevenross9042]

How fast does it go and for how long does the electric run on a full charge? Thx for the video!

[@avoleoo]

6mph. Distance depends on the speed. I would say 7 miles full speed and 15 miles 1/2 speed.