Sea Eagle 437ps PaddleSki Maiden Voyage (Silver Springs) - Florida Fish Hunter

[@fisherman001rj]

I just bought the same boat. I thought your video was outstanding. The wheels idea was great

[@FFHTV]

Thank you! 😊👍

[@plam0007]

This great! I like seeing your Sea Eagle PaddleSki and the setup in action. Can't wait to see more video of it.

[@Motojourneys]

Nice. I’m looking at this and Sea Eagle’s Fish Skiff 16; but very few videos other than those by Sea Eagle.

[@FFHTV]

Thanks Ron! 😊👍

[@fishingwithjett5373]

Nice looking setup

[@FFHTV]

Thanks Jett!

[@richardpierce2524]

Do you think adding a 7 inch pedestal for each seat would affect the boat stability?

[@FFHTV]

Hi richardpierce2524! I honestly don't know as there are other factors to consider such as a persons sense of balance, weather / water conditions and so on... Although the Paddleski is a very stable platform, as with any narrow vessel, the higher your seating position the more tipsy the situation. I would venture to say that my total chair height was pretty close to 6 inches to the top of my seat and it felt very stable to me. I originally thought of using a 7 inch pedestal but ultimately chose not to. I have bad knees which was the main reason I chose to raise the seats and it felt comfortable to me. I wish I had a better answer for you. Thanks for dropping by to check out the video and leaving a comment! 😊👍

[@joemtrimberger]

Do you have a video on your modifications to your paddleski

[@FFHTV]

Sadly the only other videos I have is my initial single person setup and one for transporting my outboard. See playlist: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3i3c2NrhpJ4Y68

[@piriya13]

The Sea Eagle's canopy for PaddleSki is 47" width. How could you fit 67"-72" width canopy into it?

[@FFHTV]

Hi piriya13! I replaced the original canopy crossbars with pvc tubing cut to the length that I needed in order to get the correct width to fit the Paddleski. 😊👍

[@piriya13]

@@FFHTV Thank you for the tip.

[@FFHTV]

@piriya13 You're welcome! 😊👍

[@peterlevan4719]

Element Rules the Road

[@FFHTV]

YES, it absolutely does! 😊👍

[@BTSflyer]

I just took my paddleski out for the first time. To my aggravation it kept wanting to turn one way or the other. There were two of up and we are not light weights. I couldn't find a sweet spot where it wouldn't try to turn. I was using the 70lb watersnake trolling motor about half throttle. Have you had any problems like this?

[@FFHTV]

Yes. You can see it in the video where I was constantly correcting trying maintain going straight. It was very annoying and wore me out. I was thinking of putting a rudder up front to act as a keel which in theory should correct the problem but never got to try it since I sold my paddleski.

[@BTSflyer]

@@FFHTV Did you sell the paddleski because of the issues with the steering?

[@FFHTV]

No, but it did add into my decision. After doing more research concerning pvc inflatables my decision ended up being more about the longevity or life span of PVC inflatables in general and the amount of maintenance required to try and keep it from deteriorating too soon especially in tropical areas like where I'm located. An inflatable made from HYPALON instead of PVC, in my opinion, is the way to go but the cost goes up significantly. In the short time that I owned the Sea Eagle I did enjoy testing it out but in the end I discovered that inflatables were just not really for me so I decided to sell it while it was still basically in new condition.

[@BTSflyer]

@@FFHTV I am going to do more testing. I wrote to Cliff about his and he said he too somewhat had to do some correcting in the steering. I wasn't expecting it being rock steady especially being an light weight inflatable. I did have a 15" sailboat and it was light weight and with the centerboard pulled up it was very hard to control when it was windy. I am glad I bought the paddleski when it was $1200 and not now at $1600. I did have quick thought about returning it but I think I can figure out something where it will track better. The Fish Skiff must have had this problem too but worse and they figured out to add a inflatable keel to stop it. Bottomline I am a cautious buyer and read every review but, not one person mention this problem so it came as a disappointing surprize. Like the guy who sells a sailing rig for the boat, maybe side center boards may help it track better. Thanks. for your opinion.

[@harold0723]

​@@BTSflyer that can be fixed by installing a paddle board fin on each pontoon. Or if you are using s trolling motor you can install a rudder adapter.

[@SARGE3439]

What’d you think of the boat overall? What did you have the motor mounted to on the vehicle?

[@FFHTV]

I find the boat to be very comfortable and super stable and would definitely recommend it to whomever was looking to get into that style of inflatable boat. The outboard motor is mounted on what I call the "carry-n-go". I have a couple of versions that I use and made a video about one of them for those looking into that type of solution for carrying a small outboard for an inflatable. kzbin.info/www/bejne/raW3eaBtnKlqerM

[@dwightlittle6576]

Would you mind posting some close up pics of how you did the 2x2 aluminum square tubes?

[@FFHTV]

Sadly I had to down size my fleet of boats and sold the Sea Eagle. I had originally planned to do videos concerning the mods that I did to it but just never gained the time to do it. 😞

[@guillaumedupre4678]

Do the seats provide enough support to lean back?

[@FFHTV]

Yes, they do. 😊👍

[@stevenross9042]

Still liking it? Am considering one

[@FFHTV]

Hi stevenross9042! I enjoyed it while I owned it but had come to the realization that inflatables are just not for me and have since sold it but I can say that it is a very stable craft and very well worth the purchase if you are into inflatables. 😊👍

[@lordenoch0]

Would you say this boat would be comfortable for two 6'ers when it comes to legroom? Are the chairs adjustable at all vertically or horizontally?

[@FFHTV]

I'm 5'-9" and my brother in law is 6'-1" and I would say that we had plenty of legroom. The chairs are not adjustable vertically or horizontally although I did modify my chairs and raised them by 4 inches above the floor frame.

[@lordenoch0]

@@FFHTV Okay, that would certainly help with the legroom.

[@BTSflyer]

Who sells that bimini top you have on your Paddleski and what do you have the rear support bar attached too

[@FFHTV]

Hi Brad Sloan! I purchased my bimini on amazon but you will have to shorten the cross tubes to get the correct width fit for the boat. I used pvc tubing for cross tubes instead of what was supplied with the canopy to shorten the width. Sadly I do not have any images or video to show the process but it is a very simple one. amzn.to/3RB32fc The rear support bar is attached to a bimini mount I installed on the transom. Here is an image showing where I placed these mounts: floridafishhunter.files.wordpress.com/2023/12/seaeagle_bimini_mount3.jpg?w=1024

[@BTSflyer]

@@FFHTV How long are the PVC cross tubes? Seems like going with that bimini you get longer coverage and it is cheaper than what Sea Eagle sells. Thanks for the photo of the rear support mount for the bimini.

[@BTSflyer]

Do you have any video with the Bimini deployed? @@FFHTV

[@FFHTV]

All I have is a photo. floridafishhunter.wordpress.com/2022/04/19/paddleski-mods/

[@BTSflyer]

That is what I wanted to see. It gives more shade than what Sea Eagle sells. Thanks, and cheaper.@@FFHTV

[@connorwilke4905]

Hi, I was looking to utilize your native slayer transducer mount. I see it says it’s made for Raymarine transducers. Any chance it would work on a Garmin striker 4 transducer?

[@FFHTV]

No, sorry it won't work with a Garmin striker 4 transducer.

[@bingshiwang7871]

What’s the max speed you can get with the 2.5 ho motor?

[@FFHTV]

Sadly I have never pushed this boat at full throttle with the 2.5 so I have no clue concerning speed.

[@KateHug]

Hey would you mind explaining how you altered the canopy to make it stand up in the back like that. We recently bought the PS 437 and love the canopy but sometimes we don't want it for the full day and would love to be able to fold it back up like that and have it out of the way rather than falling on the front or back of the boat.

[@FFHTV]

Hi Kathy! I did not alter my canopy. The canopy I purchased came with rear support poles. amzn.to/3AH0nIf

[@RealDocJames]

@@FFHTV ah so this is not the one Sea Eagle sells. Seems possibly more versatile. There are two sizes when I click your link, which one did you get?

[@FFHTV]

6'L x 67"-72" W x 46" H

[@RealDocJames]

@@FFHTV thanks a lot bud. I see from your other comments you've since moved on from the Paddleski. But would you still recommend it?

[@FFHTV]

Absolutely! It's a great boat. I would definitely purchase it again. 😊👍

[@Deltro61]

How heavy is that thing to lift with all that gear?

[@FFHTV]

I did not find it heavy at all since most of the weight is supported over the wheel cart when moving the boat around.

[@saksirikridakara]

Curious about the choice for the Bimini - what makes it better than the SeaEagle? Any guidance on fitting it to the PaddleSki 437?

[@FFHTV]

I chose a bimini that had features that I was looking for like a 3 bow top and rear support poles. Also, at the time, I only paid $84 for the bimini versus $200+ that seaeagle wanted for theirs.

[@saksirikridakara]

@@FFHTV is that model sold anymore?

[@FFHTV]

The Kohree model seems to be sold out on Amazon but this similar bimini is available: amzn.to/41jc1Uh

[@saksirikridakara]

@@FFHTV that is so helpful! What size works on the PaddleSki? Ideally I don't have to cut the poles, but I could. ;) The SeaEagle Bimini is 47" Wide (41" High x 61" Long x 47" Wide) - did these wider models fit without too much trouble? Also, I can't tell how the back poles are attached to your PaddleSki - the connection point is hidden by the Transom. How did that work?

[@FFHTV]

Not much out there available for narrow boats... I replaced the upper bow top tubes with pvc tubing to get the correct width for the bimini. I don't have any pictures of that but I have purchased a new bimini for my kayak in which I will be doing that same mod to get the correct width I need. I will be showing how I do that in a future video. As for the bimini rear support bars, the mounts were attached to the transom as shown in the following image. floridafishhunter.files.wordpress.com/2023/04/seaeagle_bimini_mount2.jpg

[@marciananton9226]

Why didn't yall pull the motor up and paddle over the down tree limb?

[@FFHTV]

Since it's an inflatable, I did not want to risk a possible puncture.

[@JDs_Camera]

What canopy setup did you use ?

[@FFHTV]

Hi James! This is the one I used but I had to shorten the cross tubes to get the correct width fit for the boat. amzn.to/3b6lvOj 😊👍

[@NghiaPham-xi5so]

How did shorten the cross tubes? Thanks..

[@FFHTV]

I used pvc for the cross tubes instead of what was supplied with the canopy.

[@dwightlittle6576]

It looks like you have raised the swivle seats. How did you do this? That's what's keeping me from buying this boat. How stable is it with two people?

[@FFHTV]

Hi Dwight! I stacked two 2"x2" aluminum square tubes to raise the seat 4" from the base platform. The Sea Eagle was super stable with two people and gear. I could not be happier with how it performed. 😊👍

[@lordenoch0]

@@FFHTV Could you please describe how/where you stacked the 2x2" square tubes on the H frame?