By Cecil Hoge

Sea Eagle President Cecil Hoge (right) and talks with Torqeedo’s Christoph Ballin about Sea Eagle’s new 10.6sr Solar Package

Last month, I wrote a blog post about my experiments with solar power and how I hope solar power in combination with electric outboards will soon be practical to motor our inflatable boats. I would now like to tell about our first introduction of a true solar powered electric motor boat which we presented last month at the Miami Boat Show – Our Sea Eagle 10.6 inflatable boat with a 3 HP 1003 Torqeedo electric motor, and a PowerFilm solar panel mounted directly on our Sea Eagle canopy.

We introduced this particular configuration at the Miami Boat Show because we think this combination of boat, motor and solar panel is particularly practical for yacht owners. This is because yacht owners generally use inflatable boats to go ship to shore and to cruise around scenic harbors. The great thing about this use is that when yacht owners are not cruising around harbors or going ship to shore, their tender is moored by their boat or tied up to a dock. If there is any sunlight, the PowerFilm solar panel is silently and constantly charging up the lithium battery of the Torqeedo motor.

Before the show, Torqeedo—the manufacturer of the electric motor—had a press conference inviting many magazines and press officials to a house in Miami on the Intercoastal Waterway. There Christoph Ballin, the President of Torqeedo, and I demonstrated our new solar panel configuration.

Those of you familiar with this waterway know that it stretches all along the East Coast of the United States, making it a beautiful protected waterway that many boaters use to go up and down the East Coast. Using the Sea Eagle 10.6 with the solar electric package as we did, the real advantages of this kind of boat configuration became readily apparent. Not only was it very quiet and clean and easy to motor through the winds and currents of the Inter coastal Waterway, but the battery was able to simultaneously charge while we were motoring. Because of this, our range (the distance we could travel on the current charge) was extended by the constant input of solar power.

Another truly interesting aspect was the fact that when motoring at a relatively slow speed, the battery power remains constantly fully charged. The solar panel delivers in full sun 45 watts and if you keep the power usage on the Torqeedo to 45 watts or less, you literally are running on solar power alone. This is a slow speed—it is only about one and half miles per hour—but it also allows you to travel without putting any drain on the battery.

Cecil and Cristoph take the Sea Eagle 10.6sr Solar Package for a ride

One of the many unique characteristics of the Torqeedo electric motor was that it has a computer module showing remaining battery power, speed over land, remaining range at a given speed and the actual wattage in power that you are using at any given time. This allows you to simply set the power usage at 45 watts and chug along for free, or to go faster and monitor your usage and remaining range all the time.

One thing that is sometimes forgotten when discussing the power and speed in an outboard motor, is that to get twice the speed, you need 8 times the power. In other words, the faster you go the much more power you use. Without the benefit a solar panel, the Torqeedo motor goes full speed for 38 minutes, 3/4 speed for over 2 hours and slow speed for up to 10 hours, so the range and time you can go changes dramatically with the power you use. When you add a solar panel, it increases your range and it extends the time you can use the motor.

Personally, the best benefit of using a solar panel is that when the boat is at rest and when there is some sunlight, the battery is always recharging, eliminating any need to plug it into an electrical source when you’re not using it. Unlike rigid solar panels the PowerFilm solar panel uses amorphous solar cells on a flexible but durable fabric material allowing it to charge all the time there is some light. While it charges best in full sunlight, the solar panel still charges in cloudy and waning light conditions. This is a welcome change from rigid solar panels which are much heavier and need a certain light intensity to deliver any charging power. It also means that the PowerFilm solar panel is far lighter than traditional rigid glass solar panels.

The fact that the solar panel charges all the time in most light conditions has some real and unusual benefits for a yacht owner. While the boat owners are at a restaurant enjoying a nice meal or moored and relaxing on their boat, the solar panel is silently recharging the battery of the motor as long as there is some sunlight.

This is very practical in terms of how many yacht owners use their yacht tenders. It allows someone to go to a nearby beach or to a dock or to another boat to tie up—often for several hours at a time—and then get back in their boat and motor back from whence they came. And the truly great thing about this, is the fact that all the time the boat is at rest in sunlight, it is recharging the battery.

The Torqeedo Travel 1003 lets you set its power, allowing you to maximize the solar panel’s efficiency

This means that most yacht owners will almost never have to recharge their batteries – they will have perpetual power at their disposal, ready to use whenever needed. Of course, if they need to charge the battery electrically this is also easily done since most large boat owners have a diesel generator on board with available electrical outlets. And of course, the battery can always be charged from an electrical outlet at the dock or at home. Since the battery only weighs about 10 pounds this is not the hassle it is with lugging a 40 or 50 lb. lead acid battery.

We are hoping this new solar electric configuration will offer yacht owners a whole new energy free way to have a tender. Not only is this a very green alternative to using a gasoline motor, it is also a very clean way to motor a boat…there is no gas or oil to spill and mess up and stain your clothes or your boat. Solar electric is clean and easy all the way.

Those of you familiar with the hassle and expense of running and handling a small outboard gas engine will especially appreciate using a Torqeedo electric motor. Instead of having to pull a manual start cord and deal with their temperamental starting nature that seems inherent to all small gas outboards, all you have to do put the magnet starter button on the tiller handle and turn turn the handle left or right for forward or reverse. Instead of having to listen to a loud motoring sound of small gas explosions in a small gas engine (how can such little engines make so much noise?), the yacht owner only hears a low whirring sound of the electric motor. And instead of having your gas motor yearly serviced for what seems like half the cost of the engine, the Torqeedo requires almost no upkeep over a 10 year period.

Cruising through the Intercoastal Waterway with a Sea Eagle 10.6 Solar Package

All of the inherent advantages of a Torqeedo are enhanced with the use of a PowerFilm solar panel on our Sea Eagle canopy. Not only is the panel durable and reliable, it is completely out of the way of the boater. This allows full use of the boat while the solar panel recharges the battery of the motor.

Last but not least, I would like to mention why I think the Sea Eagle 10.6 with a 1003 Torqeedo and a PowerFilm solar panel is such a great match for the average yacht owner. The size of this boat, at 10′ 6″, is perfect for most yacht tending situations – it can hold comfortably 4 people. Better still this model has a patent pending exterior drop stitch keel which allows it to steer very precisely. Most inflatable tenders simply slide when you try to turn them. Not so for our 10.6, because of the exterior keel, it turns precisely within a much smaller radius. This is very important for a small boat motoring around docks and crowded moorings where often there are much larger boats paying not too much attention to the smaller craft that may come nearby.

An added feature of our 10.6 when it is using a high pressure drop stitch inflatable floor along with the outside drop stitch keel (you have a choice between plastic floorboards or a drop stitch inflatable floor), the overall boat is much lighter – 43 lbs lighter to be precise. The 10.6 weighs just 93 lbs. with the drop stitch floor, making it practical to be easily carried by 2 people, to be pulled up on a larger boat or to be towed long distances by your larger boat. And again, when used with the drop stitch floor, the boat is far easier to assemble and far more compact to store – two very important features for yacht owners.

Of course, I have to admit that I am prejudiced since we sell Sea Eagle boats and I am the proud president of the company – we think the 10.6 is the best all-around yacht tender on the market. And we think when it is combined with a Torqeedo motor and a PowerFilm solar panel on our Sea Eagle canopy, this package offers the yacht owner a unique and very pleasant alternative to gas powered yacht tenders.

We hope this new introduction of our solar electric Sea Eagle 10.6 – we call it the Ultimate Solar Electric Package – is just the first of many new solar electric configurations using our boats with Torqeedo motors and PowerFilm solar panels.

No one boat and no one kind of innovation can change the world, but many different people and many kinds of innovation, using many different kinds of solar electric boats and solar electric cars and other solar electric products could change world. More than that, I think this change can come only one person at a time. It will not be a government or a single business that changes the world, it will be people, one person at a time, changing to new innovative products, that will change to world.

Later this year, I hope to report to you about other developments using Torqeedo outboard motors with PowerFilm solar panels on other Sea Eagle inflatable boats. The introduction of our solar electric package for our Sea Eagle 10.6 is, I hope, just a small part of my solar power dream and the first step of many to offer alternative choices to the use of fossil fuels and gas motors.

You’ll often find the Boey family and their Sea Eagle PaddleSki, set up as a sailboat, in the waters around Singapore

If you love boating, fishing, swimming, scuba diving, or other aquatic adventures, put Singapore on your must-see list. We talked recently with Singaporean, Vincent Boey, who told us of his life-long love of boating and how he’s enjoying passing his love of the outdoors on to his children.

“Singapore is blessed with a tropical climate and an abundance of open water,” Vincent told us, “which makes it ideal for water recreation all year around.”

“As a child,” Vincent continues, “I was always fascinated with the outdoors. During school holidays, I’d gather a few good friends and we’d spend days of fun camping, fishing, sailing, and simply enjoying the outdoors. Nature and the sea have taught me teamwork, independence, fear, and respect among other things.”

Clarence, Vanessa, and Vincent set up their Sea Eagle PaddleSki as a kayak for paddling fun

Water Everywhere!

Singapore, formally the Republic of Singapore, is an island country off the Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia, just 85 miles north of the equator. It’s a cluster of islands — the largest, Singapore Island, and 62 smaller, largely uninhabited ones.

There’s water, and easy water access, at every turn. To the north, between Singapore and Malaysia, are the Straits of Johor. The famous Lido Beach, on the Malaysian side, is a popular and beautiful spot.

To the south, separating Singapore from Indonesia, is the Singapore Strait, a busy, deepwater point of entry to the Port of Singapore. Among Singapore Island’s many rivers is the historic Singapore River — the mouth of which was the original port of entry to Singapore.

Family Boating & Family Bonding

Vincent tells us, “The outdoors is a big classroom where many valuable lessons can be taught and learned. My lovely wife, Christine, though not an outdoor person, is rather accommodating and joins me on outdoor trips. When our children, Vanessa and Clarence, came along we took every opportunity to get outdoors to enjoy and savor Nature.

I remembered the thrill and excitement in their eyes when my children first saw a shooting star. When they grew older, I decided to expose them to water adventure and sailing. I searched the web and chanced on the SeaEagle 435Ps PaddleSki. It’s an ideal boat for our needs. Its five-boats-in-one versatility is like owning 5 boats for the price of one. It provides safety, stability, durability, and was certainly worth the investment. Its ease of storage, transport, and utility is truly a boon.”

Five boats in one

Vincent’s inflatable Sea Eagle PaddleSki is a unique nautical chameleon that’s easily set up as five different craft. It’s an easy-paddling kayak. Attach an outboard motor and get where you’re going effortlessly. Set up with oars and a sliding seat, it’s an on-water rowing/exercise machine. With a sail rig, it glides silently across the water. And decked out as a fishing boat, it’s roomy and comfortable.

Family man, family bonding

Vincent expresses thoughts every family man has. “Due to the nature of my work, time with my family is extremely valuable to me. Whenever possible, we take the Paddleski out for a great outdoor adventure and family bonding time. We go fishing or simply enjoy ourselves sailing in the open waters of Pasir Ris, Changi, and East Coast Park.

If there are good winds, we do some sailing. Otherwise, we’d set up the Paddleski as a kayak and paddle. Or we mount our Minn Kota outboard motor. If the tides are good, we do some fishing. Depending on the time of the year and luck, we catch fish like sea bass or snapper. The kids do some swimming or just laze away on the beach having fun. Thank you, SeaEagle, for the affordable and high quality product I’m proud to own.”

— Do you have Sea Eagle boating photos and stories to share? Email us!

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.

Dan Wachob’s tricked-out FoldCat is an on-water survey station set up to tell precisely how much water’s in a reservoir, lake, or pond.

For you and me, a day on the water is a day of sun and fun with some boating, fishing, swimming, a little suntan lotion, a burger or two, and some general goofing off. Not so for Dan Wachob, of Wachob and Wachob, Inc., professional land surveyors from Colorado. For Dan and his partner, boating is serious business.

Water storage capacity surveys

“We are a land surveying and civil engineering firm,” Dan told us. “One of the services we offer our clients is storage capacity surveying; we determine how much water is in a farm’s or ranch’s reservoir, lake, or pond.”

“Water in the west is more valuable than gold,” Dan explained, and the Colorado Division of Water Resources wants to account for every drop. “A farmer or rancher will call us to verify how much water they have on their land.”

No boat ramps

Dan surveys bodies of water all over Colorado but it’s rare to find a reservoir with a boat ramp. So he chose a FoldCat that doesn’t require one.

The bodies of water Dan surveys range from one acre to over 150 acres in area. Some are in high mountain terrain; others are way off in a big field; others are along a river. Most bodies of water they survey have these things in common: they’re off-road, they’re tough to get to, and they don’t have boat ramps.

“With no boat ramps,” says Dan, “there’s no way to bring in a hard hull boat.” That led him to look at the Sea Eagle FoldCat. “I looked for a boat that was portable, that I could pack up and throw in the back of a pickup truck, but that was large enough to hold all our equipment.”

Delicate electronic instruments

Dan and his crew tote an impressive (and expensive) array of equipment as they survey bodies of water. They have a Minn Kota trolling motor and battery, GPS equipment plus a large battery, GPS antenna, depth finder, data collectors, handheld GPS, and more. And life preservers, of course.

“We had a string four very small reservoirs about a quarter mile apart each,” says Dan. “We inflated the FoldCat for the first pond then just put it on the back of the truck instead of carrying it.”

And when your GPS equipment costs $25,000, you have one more requirement in a boat: stability. “Stability has not been an issue at all,” says Dan. “We sometimes have to stand and have had it in some pretty high winds, but haven’t had any issues.”

The FoldCat has a long and wide stance that makes it a very stable platform. Fishermen love the full floor because it catches dropped lures and flopping fish. Dan likes the floor because it accommodates all his gear.

Easy to maneuver

Years ago, Dan was a guide on raft trips. “We rafted the Arkansas River, the North Platte, the Colorado, and the Green River,” he says. “When I got in the FoldCat and grabbed the oars, it was very easy to maneuver.” The FoldCat sits high in the water so Dan can access the shallow parts to get elevations in the water. “We do a comprehensive survey of the whole basin,” says Dan, “including the dam, the downside stream, outlets, and spillway. The FoldCat works well because we can maneuver around the outlet structures and get very close to everything.”

Dan’s friends tease him that his job is just an excuse to go fishing. And he has seen some big ones while surveying bodies of water in his FoldCat. But on the job, a surveyor has much more on his mind than dropping a hook in the water. They save that for weekends like the rest of us.

— Do you have Sea Eagle photos and stories to share? Email us!

Domanic and Zachary Miele brave the waves in the Gulf of Mexico in their Sea Eagle 370

We regularly receive photos, letters, and e-mails from Sea Eagle boaters. Here’s a note from today’s inbox.

“My family and I love our Sea Eagle inflatable kayak. My son and his friends use it locally in the streams and rivers of Pennsylvania and have had quite a few adventures.  We bought the Sea Eagle because of the information on your website, the ability to transport it so easily, and because of the great price.  I recommend Sea Eagle, it’s one tough kayak that can take a beating.  From the rocks and trees in the streams of Pennsylvania, to the waves in the Gulf of Mexico, my family and I have definitely tested your kayak and it has never let us down. Thank you for an excellent quality product.”  — Terrence Miele

We followed up with Mr. Miele to learn a bit more about his Sea Eagle adventures with his family. Terrence told us his two teenage sons, Domanic, 16, and Zachary, 18,  take river trips in southwestern Pennsylavnia. He drives them to a launch point and they’ll spend the whole day out on the Youghiogheny River, floating and fishing. “They call me six or seven hours later and I pick them up downriver,” says Terrence. “They just love it.”

The Youghiogheny (or “Yough” — pronounced “Yok”), a tributary of the Monongahela River, runs about 122 miles through West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. In colonial times, it was a travel route for pioneers. Today, the Yough is a popular kayaking river and fishing spot for brown and rainbow trout.

“They’re amazed at how tough the Sea Eagle is,” says Terrence. “They’re teens and haven’t put a hole in it yet. They get into shallow water, tree limbs, and rocks. It really takes a beating.”

Road Trip

The Mieles take family trips to the Barrier Islands off the Florida Panhandle. And their Sea Eagle packs right along with them in the van they drive from Pennsylvania to Florida. “For as big as it is, the Sea Eagle packs quite small,” says Terrence.

And when you and your boys are all over six feet tall, size matters. “We bought the 330 initially,” Terrence said. “We’re all over six feet tall so we then got the bigger Sea Eagle 370.”  The Sea Eagle 330 measures 11’ 2” stem to stern; the 370 is almost 1-1/2 feet longer at 12’ 6”.

One of the Miele’s favorite spots in the Gulf is Navarre Beach on Santa Rose Island, near Pensacola. It’s one of the Barrier Islands where “Jaws 2” was filmed in 1978.

Surf’s Up

Waves were extreme — all the more fun!

On a memorable day in the Gulf, the surf was raging as Terrence, Domanic, and Zachary piled into their Sea Eagle to brave the waves. Terrence tells us, “The waves were easily 8 or 10 feet over your head. We’d go out in the Sea Eagle and ride the waves back in. It’s just so much fun, we did it all day long until we were exhausted.”

All the kayak adventuring started when Terrence’s wife, Kelly, rented a hard-hull kayak. The Mieles got a taste of ocean kayaking and quickly decided to get a Sea Eagle of their own. “It’s not cheap to rent kayaks,” says Terrence. “Rent a kayak two or three times and you might as well own one.” And, he says, “for the amount of fun we’ve had in the Sea Eagle, it’s more than paid for itself.”

Next up for the Mieles: a summer camping trip to Pymatuning Lake, a man-made lake that spans the border between Pennsylvania and Ohio; a popular spot for fishing, camping, sightseeing, hiking, biking, swimming, and kayaking, of course!

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