Inflatable Kayak Blog

This is the time of year when I often look past the Holidays toward the annual boat shows that usually occur when cabin fever is setting in. We journey out into the cold winter weather to look at all the neat new outdoor gear and those beautiful new fishing boats. Even though gas prices have gone back down (for awhile anyway), the current economic climate could still prohibit you from purchasing that new boat. One alternative to think about is the Sea Eagle inflatable boat with motor mount.

The reason I bring this up in advance of the boat shows is that Sea Eagle has discounted these boats to their lowest prices ever. They’re currently priced under $500 at most Sea Eagle retailers through the end of the year. These hardy, portable watercraft are a smaller version of the big expensive Zodiac style boats. They only weigh up to 56 pounds and they carry up to 1200 pounds. There are two versions, the SE-8 and SE-9 and both are easy to store and easy to transport. I know they won’t sit in your driveway and make your neighbors envious, but you and your friends can still catch some fish in them. And maybe not taking any up any driveway space isn’t so bad after all!

At a time when larger vehicles are becoming less popular because of the high price of gas, the new Sea Eagle 440 FoldCat is an exception. The boat was introduced this month (July 2008) and it’s the largest folding/inflatable pontoon on the market. It holds up to four people with a capacity of 1300 pounds. Although it might be too large and cumbersome for many who enjoy the small one and two person inflatable pontoons, this boat can be an economical replacement for traditional gas-guzzling bass boats. Both versions of the Sea Eagle FoldCat, the two person 375 and the new 4 person 440, have a full floor so you have far more useable space than ordinary pontoon fishing boats - and it’s a “safety net” that catches gear you may drop. This allows you to carry more fishing tackle and supplies than ordinary pontoon boats. And it will travel up to 8 to 10 miles per hour with an economical 4 hp gas engine. Four fishermen or women can fish from 360 degree swivel seats using up to six rod holders. You can’t do that on a small bass boat. Check it out if you’re looking for something more economical and functional for your fishing expeditions.

What I enjoyed most of our time on our trip to Destin was walking on the beach just far enough into the water to get my feet wet. We took long walks along the white sandy beach every day. We always passed people fishing from the shore and wondered if anyone ever caught anything as we hadn’t ever seen anyone with a catch. It was after the sun had set one evening and we were on one of our walks. As we passed a fisherman it looked like he just might have some thing on his line. After talking to someone that was in his group we found out that he thought he had a pretty big shark on his line. He had been out fishing in his kayak all day to catch some bait. Just before sunset he went out again in his kayak and sent out his line with the bait fish on it in hopes of catching a shark. We had never seen anyone catch a shark, so we waited around the hour that it took him to land the fish. What a sight to finally see the white fin cut through the water when it was pulled in close to shore. The shark was about five feet long and certainly worth waiting around to see. We got some pictures of the proud fisherman, a Destin native, and the shark and then he let it go.