Tom Mannion and son, Patrick, prepare for some dad-and-son time as they fish for bass on one of New Hampshire’s pristine pond in their Sea Eagle FoldCat 440.

Thomas Mannion, of New Boston, New Hampshire, balances his love for bass fishing and his love for his family in a way that makes everybody happy — he combines them.

“I’m a still water bass fisherman,” Tom told us. He sought a boat that would get him where he wanted to be; in the shallow, still waters where the lily pads grow the big bass lurk. “What really drew me to the Sea Eagle FoldCat was it draws only four inches.”

Try Tom’s stealth bass fishing secrets

“One of the best fishing spots I’ve found is in a pond near home. I fish the still water between the shore and a natural berm formed by blueberry bushes. Behind the berm, it’s all still water about a foot deep, filled with lily pads. The fish like that because they feel hidden and safe.”

Tom says there are a lot of smallmouth bass in New Hampshire waters but when you hook a largemouth bass it tends to be a big one: they know how to hide from fishermen. “One of the biggest fish I’ve caught was a 5-1/2 lb. largemouth bass. In New Hampshire, that’s a big fish.”

“I drift along and the fish don’t realize I’m there,” says Tom. “The lily pads separate right around the pontoons as I glide by.” Tom says they’ll spook when the pads move but he keeps it down to barely a crawl — just inches at a time — and the fish don’t seem to notice. “The FoldCat gives good shadow cover, too,” he says. The floor between the pontoons creates a good shadow and, “You can actually see the bass swimming around and under the boat,” because the boat’s shadow cuts the reflection.

An engineer’s a careful shopper

Tom’s an internet engineer who specializes in wireless connectivity. “As an engineer, I look at things from a very analytical point of view,” he says. “I started looking for boats a few years ago and when I saw the FoldCat 375 I knew it was the boat for me.” He says he thought, planned, and asked a lot of questions. “I’ve spent a lot more money with a lot fewer questions on things like cars,” he told us.

When we asked Tom what his boat-shopping criteria were, he reeled them off. “The FoldCat 375 fit my needs exactly. First, it’s perfect for a still water fisherman like me. And the inflatable FoldCat packs small so I don’t have to worry about a trailer, lights, or connections. And with no trailer, you burn less gasoline. A canoe weighs over 100 lbs. and takes two to put on a car top carrier. The FoldCat just goes in the trunk or back of my pickup. That’s priceless. Try doing that with a 12’ aluminum outboard! At the water, I just unload, unroll and inflate it. I got the two-stage pump so inflation is simple.”

FoldCat 375 vs. FoldCat 440

But then something unexpected happened. “When Sea Eagle came out with the 440 FoldCat, I had to rethink everything.” He observed, “The 375 is clearly a 2-man craft. The 440 is the same boat but bigger, and can be set up for one to four passengers just by changing a few wing nuts.”

Meet the Mannions — Colleen, Patrick, and Thomas

That’s when the family man in him kicked in. “We’re a very close family,” he says, “and we do everything together. The 440 is the perfect boat for that.” Tom says getting a boat the whole family could use and enjoy together was the 440 advantage that tipped the scales. “Frankly, I thought it would be selfish of me to spend time with just one family member when, for a little extra, we could all go out on the water together.”

As a parent…

“My son, Patrick, will be 10 in March,” Tom told us. “He loves to be with me and loves to be on the boat. As a parent, every moment with a child is a teaching moment and I take the opportunity to teach him about boating, fishing, and safety.”

Tom’s happy, Patrick’s happy, and his wife, Colleen is, too. “My hearty thanks to Sea Eagle for a phenomenal product. As a consumer and boater, I couldn’t be happier. If I had it to do over again, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

“One more thing,” Tom added. “Anybody want to buy my old aluminum rowboat?”

— Do you have Sea Eagle photos and stories to share? E-mail us!

Sea Eagle 285fpb owner Mitch Moline catches a fish

Mitch Moline is 14 years old and nuts about fishing. And pursuing his passion is an everyday event for Mitch — he lives at a lakeside resort his parents own.

We visited Mitch and his family at their Afterglow Lake Resort outside Phelps, Wisconsin. Built in 1949, the resort spans 240 wooded acres and is surrounded by the Nicolet National Forest. Their privately-owned, spring-fed Afterglow Lake measures 33 big acres and teems with bluegills and bass. “The bass are really big and nice,” reports Mitch.

“Holding that fish was the coolest thing I ever did.”

Mitch got hooked on fishing Afterglow Lake young. “I was about nine when I caught my first big bass. I held it and it was the coolest thing I ever did,” says Mitch. As a pre-teen he fished from shore. As he grew older, he fished from old rowboat. “But,” says Mitch, “the rowboat was too big for me to handle.”

Then Mitch spotted his dream boat. “I was looking for lures in the back of a fishing magazine,” says Mitch, “when I saw an ad for Sea Eagle.” Being somewhat light on funds at his young age, Mitch turned to his parents for financial aid. “I begged and begged my parents for a Sea Eagle.” What parent could resist a son who wants to fish rather than watch TV? “It was the best birthday present I’ve ever gotten,” says Mitch with a happy smile.

He’d rather fish than watch TV

Mitch’s parents agreed willingly. “I’ve always encouraged Mitch to get outside and I’m really glad he’d rather fish than watch TV,” says his dad, Pete Moline. “I saw a report that kids spend an average of seven hours a day on TV, phone, and video games.” Most parents would agree with Pete when he says, “Any time you can get your kid outside fishing and having fun is more important than playing a video game.”

“It’s a great fishing boat.”

From a fisherman’s point of view, Mitch gives the Sea Eagle 285 Frameless Pontoon Boat two big thumbs up. “It’s set up for fishing. You’re high up off the water so you can see the fish before they can see you. I really like its hard floors and the bait holders, too. The net that is right by your feet helps hold your fish while you are getting the hook out. It’s a great fishing boat, light, easy to maneuver, stable, and easy to row.”

Safety in mind.

Mitch and his parents shopped carefully, with safety in mind. “It was important to us to buy a boat that’s safe,” says Pete. “This Sea Eagle is safe and stable, even when Mitch is standing. He’s a fly fisherman, so he will be standing.” Mitch added, “My parents trust the Sea Eagle to keep me safe.”

“I spend a lot of time at our resort working,” says Pete, “and it always puts a big smile on my face to look out and see Mitch out there catching fish. After seeing all the fun Mitch has with the Sea Eagle, I’d strongly recommend any parent get their kids one. It’s been a great boat for all of us and it’s a great value.”

A happy Mitch Moline poses in his Sea Eagle Frameless Pontoon Boat

“I do a lot of damage.”

As we were leaving, we asked Mitch if his boat is tough. “I’m a kid,” says Mitch. “I do a lot of damage. The Frameless Pontoon Boat is so durable we haven’t had any problems.” And when we asked him what he’d change, he told us, “The only thing I would add is a fish finder. Other than that, the boat’s golden.”

Watch Mitch and his Sea Eagle in action on our website. Click here.

— Do you have Sea Eagle photos and stories to share? Email [email protected]

I started experimenting with solar panels about 10 years ago. I bought various solar panels from West Marine and other sources to “trickle charge” my 12 volt, deep cycle lead acid battery. At the time I was using a MinnKota Rip Tide 55 electric motor. The MinnKota motor was extremely reliable, totally resistant to salt water, but it delivered very little power – I often was unable to motor against a high wind or a strong tide in the bays near my home. In addition, the MinnKota was pretty heavy, especially when you considered the 50 lb. weight of the lead acid battery. The total weight of the motor and battery was about 80 lbs. together.

The term “trickle charge” was truly apt back then since it took 2 to 3 weeks to fully charge a depleted 12 volt battery. Not only was this an impossibly long time, but, if you did not monitor the charging process, you could burn out the battery at the end of 3 weeks. Since you could deplete the battery in 3 or 4 hours of use of the electric motor, this effectively made the solar panel useless and I gave up my experiments with charging my 12 volt battery.

About 4 years ago I came across the Torqeedo electric motor. I saw it a trade show. It was quite expensive, but it was also extremely interesting. At the time, they were showing a motor called the 801 Travel Motor. The total motor and battery weighed just 24 lbs. Instead of having a lead acid battery weighing 50 lbs., the Torqeedo had a lithium ion battery which weighed only 6 lbs. Best of all, it truly delivered about 2 hp, making it useful for motoring against the winds and tides that I experienced on my salt water bays.

Last Summer, I tested the new 1003 Torqeedo with a solar panel extensively on the bow of my Sea Eagle 14 SailCat. You could say this was a purely personal application – I needed the Torqeedo 1003 motor get out of my cove and motor 3 miles to Port Jefferson Bay – the big bay that I liked to sail in. The Torqeedo did this very well – it went through any winds or tides that my nearby bays could deliver.

Sea Eagle SailCat sailing without a solar panel

But the battery range was still pretty limited (35 minutes at full throttle, 2.5 hours at half throttle). I yearned for unlimited range. When I connected the solar panel I had the great pleasure of seeing the battery charge without having to take it off my SailCat and or do anything.

This is my Sea Eagle SailCat with a solar panel attached at the bow.

I came across PowerFilm because I had been able to destroy the first solar panel that Torqeedo first sold me in 2 short weeks. This was probably because I put it on my SailCat and inundated the solar panel every day while sailing. In frustration with their own solar panel, Torqeedo had been talking with PowerFilm. When I demolished the first Torqeedo solar panel, Torqeedo suggested that I test the PowerFilm panel. The first solar panel that PowerFilm provided did not fare much better, but I did get a full month out it before I swamped it to death.

After discussions with both Torqeedo and PowerFilm, it became evident that neither company quite understood the full importance of the word “waterproof”. You have to realize that the way I tested their solar panel was totally different than the way they tested their solar panel. They poured water on it in a laboratory. I put it on the front of my SailCat, took it out in 20 or 25 mph winds and sailed with it. In doing so the solar panel got swamped repeatedly by waves of salt water, literally many gallons and mucho pounds of water at once.

And of course, I leave the assembled boat outside. This meant that even after the boat’s solar panel was repeatedly swamped, it was then left moored tied up to floating dock, outside in blazing sun or driving rain, in heat or cold. In short, my use exposed the solar panel to the worst conditions possible and made evident the necessity of having connectors absolutely waterproof and absolutely impervious to the elements. In due course, PowerFilm and Torqeedo put their heads together and came up with new connectors that were truly waterproof and impervious to the elements.

For the past 6 months, I tested the new PowerFilm solar panel with the new, truly waterproof connectors. I can now say that it truly works and it regularly charges the lithium battery in about 10 hours which is way better than 3 weeks.

Now we are taking this same technology and seeing if we can apply it to other obvious and perhaps, more universal uses. As you can see from the pictures in this blog, we have put a solar panel on our standard sun/rain canopy. It does the same thing as the solar panel on my SailCat, although it certainly is in a drier better position to take full advantage of the sun. This is yet another step on the long road to the realization of my solar dream.

We now sell Torqeedo motors and PowerFilm solar panels. Shortly, we will be offering transom boat packages which include our Sea Eagle 10.6, 12.6 & 14 transom boats with canopies, Torqeedo motors and solar panels. These will be available on our website this Spring and shortly thereafter, we will send out catalogs showing these solar/electric motor Sea Eagle boat packages. But as they say in TV commercials “that’s not all!”

We also are working on a new solar panel and Torqeedo pontoon boat package with larger canopy which will be able to accommodate 2 solar panels strung together in daisy chain to provide even faster recharging and to extend the range of Torqeedo motors even more. When these are available, by early this summer, we will put them up on our website and in our catalogs.

It is my hope that ultimately we will develop what I call “the perpetual Sea Eagle”. That is, an inflatable boat powered by an electric motor, being charged by one or more solar panels that is capable of going any distance during daylight hours without ever having to take the battery off of the motor to recharge it from a power outlet. This would offer the consumer boats that could be motored indefinitely without the use of gas and without the need to recharge from a power outlet. It is, of course, something of an impossible dream. It remains to be seen if this can really be accomplished. But, if it is possible, I would like to be the person to do it.

If you have taken the trouble to read this long blog, thank you for sharing my Solar Power Dream.